Cefalu (gro) Roger II of the House of Hauteville, crowned King of Sicily in 1130, was considered the wealthiest ruler of his time. He had conquered Tunis, called numerous possessions in North Africa his own and at the court of Palermo he maintained, in this case completely oriented to his Arab friends, a magnificently equipped harem. On the other hand, Roger was also a devout Christian. When, during a sea voyage between Messina and Palermo, he was caught in a heavy storm in the north of the island and barely managed to get ashore, he decided to have a church built there in gratitude for his survival. Thus was born the Cathedral of Cefalù.
Colorful mixture of people and religions
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This church, whose construction began in 1131, is, with Palermo Cathedral and Monreale Cathedral, the most important testimony to so-called Norman architecture, an architectural style found only in Sicily. Roger’s father had indeed conquered the Muslim Arabs who had established a caliphate on the island. But under the Normans, they continued to live on the island as craftsmen, architects and highly respected scholars, alongside Greek Orthodox Christians, small Jewish communities and adherents of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Norman architectural style exists only in Sicily
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The Norman style mixes Christian Romanesque elements, Byzantine influences and Arabic architecture. It is said of Roger II that he spoke fluent Arabic. He was considered cosmopolitan and artistic. The enormous church of Cefalù was built over 130 years. Roger II died in 1154 and the cathedral, still the seat of a bishop, was not consecrated until 1267. Most impressive in the interior is the huge gold mosaic depicting Christ as the ruler of the world. The square in front of the cathedral at the foot of a large flight of steps, Cefaludes Piazza Duomo, is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Sicily.