Cefalù

Cefalù is a city in the Province of Palermo, located on the northern coast of Sicily on the Tyrrhenian Sea about 70 km (43 miles) east of palermo with a population of about 14,000. It dates back to Greek times; it is first mentioned in 396 BCE.

The Cathedral, begun in 1131, in a style of Norman architecture which would be more accurately called Sicilian Romanesque. The interior of the cathedral was restored in 1559, though the pointed arches of the nave, borne by ancient granite columns, are still visible. The only mosaics preserved are those of the apse and the last bay of the choir; they are remarkably fine specimens of the Byzantine art of the period (1148) and, though restored in 1859–62, have suffered much less than those at Palermo and Monreale from the process. The figure of the Pantocrator gracing the apse is especially noteworthy.

The Cathedral Church of Cefalù is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

All pictures are © Dr. Günther Eichhorn, unless otherwise noted.