Palermo, Sicily
Photographs
by Rolf Gross, 2003
The Capella Palatina was built by the Norman King Roger II between 1130 and 43 as his private chapel. This golden cave is a wonder of Byzantine mosaic art, Arabic intarsia, and Norman architecture. The mosaics were made by craftsmen from Constantinople.
A view into the left, short arm of
a transept which is crowned by a dome.
The mosaic in the
dome shows Christ Pantocrator surrounded by archangels according to the
mystical, neo-platonic visions of Dionysius Areopagitus. Similar depictions of
the Pantocrator among archangels also appear in the Battisterio in Florence,
the church in Ossos Loukas in Greece, and in the Norman cathedral in Cefalu,
all before 1150.
The right
cross-nave shows scenes of the life of Christ according to the Eastern Orthodox
Canon, e.g., Christ’s Metamorphosis on Mt. Tabor next to his Baptism, the Entry
in Jerusalem, and the Nativity
The mosaics on the side walls depict
the lives of St. Peter and St. Paul to whom the chapel was dedicated.
On the southwestern end-wall of
the nave Christ in Majesty appears between St. Peter (left) and Paul, an
unusual arrangement. In Eastern Orthodoxy Christ would be flanked by Mary and
St. John the Baptist. The inscriptions are in Latin - not in Greek – except
for the canonical Greek letters right and left of Christ.
The deeds of St. Peter on the
right side-wall of the nave. Above the arches themes of the Old Testament are
shown.
Note: good photographs that do justice to the gold mosaics of the
Palatine Chapel are rare. These were made with a Canon G3 (f:2, 1/15 sec) free-hand in the ambient light, of
course, without a flash. Their use for
non-commercial applications is unrestricted. The photographer would appreciate
a reference to their location, e.g.,
Photos by Rolf Gross, http://rolfgross.dreamhosters.com/