Inside the Normans Palace there is the most important monument of the Arab-Norman art: the wonderful Palatina Chapel built during the XII century and entirely covered by sparkle Byzantine golden mosaics and by Arab inlays and paintings. With its fusion of Latin, Byzantine and Arab elements, this monument is the symbol of the cultural, political and architectonical synthesis done by Normans in Sicily. 

The Palatina Chapel

The Palatina Chapel

The famous French writer Guy de Maupassant described this chapel as “the most astonishing religious jewel ever dreamed of by the human spirit.” Its mosaics are considered the most beautiful ones in the world and they represent famous biblical episodes.

The Palatina Chapel mosaics

The Palatina Chapel mosaics

Here you can also admire the superb Arab wooden ceiling made in 1143 and the marble floor.

The Arab wooden ceiling

The Arab wooden ceiling

The marble floor

The marble floor



Related Articles:

  • The Normans Palace in Palermo
  • The Sistina Chapel
  • The Chiaramonte- Steri Palace in Palermo
  • The church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio or “Martorana” in Palermo
  • The Assunta Cathedral in Palermo


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