Palermo: Cappella Palatine

Palantine Chapel was added to the Norman Palace in 1132 by the Norman King Roger II. Its construction began in 1132, a year after the laying of the cornerstone of Cefalù’s cathedral. It was consecrated in 1140, and the execution of the extensive mosaic decor, covering the entire interior, began after that date. Blanketed in mosaics which illuminate Biblical figures and acts of the apostles, the chapel is starkly reminiscent of Monreale’s Cathedral, but smaller and perhaps more elegant. The story begins on