The Cathedral of Cefalu in Cefalu, Palermo, Italy | Cathedral
The Cathedral of Cefalu is not, as with other Sicilian churches, a combination of a longitudinal and centralized floor plan. It is a straightforward Romanesque basilica with a transept, partly vaulted and partly covered with an open woodwork roof. The main difference in ground plan, compared with later Sicilian structures, lies in the treatment of the crossing. This is not a perfect square, nor is it emphasized by its height. The crossing is not conceived as the principal center of the building.
The city of the promontory, as Cefalu is called, derives its name from the ancient Cephaloedium (from the Greek Kefale, which means head). The name is suggested by the profile of the escarpment, Monte Kafè, rising behind the Cathedral. The remains of archaic fortifications and the so-called temple of Diana at the mountain's summit are the most evident remains of a prehistoric Hellenic settlement. In 307 BCE Syracuse seized and held the city until the Roman conquest of Sicily in 254 BCE.
The vaulted parts of the The Cathedral of Cefalu are heavily buttressed on the outside. The present wooden roof of the nave is lower than was originally executed. The arch which was meant to connect it with the crossing is higher than the present roof of the nave and is walled up on the outside.
The cloister of Cefalu' can be dated to 1160-70 and is the first Sicilian example of its kind. Accessed from inside the Cathedral through a door near the belfry, the cloister is made up of binal columns surmounted by pointed arches.
All photos ©Roger Shepherd
