Palazzo Normanni

The first buildings on the site of the Palazzo Normanni belonged to the Phoenicians , then there were ancient Roman fortifications. In the 9th century, the Arabs who captured Palermo in 875 founded their fortress, known as the Palace of Emirs , on the site of ancient ruins. In the Arabian era, the building was one of the fortresses that controlled Palermo, and the residence of the emirs was located in the city itself - in the current quarter of Kals.

In 1072, the Normans captured Palermo, and Robert Guiscard set up his residence in the Palace of the Emirs. His nephew Roger II turned the former Arab fortress into a royal palace. Under Roger II, four towers were added to the palace - the Leaning Tower of Pisa (or Saint Ninfa ), the Red Tower ( ital. Italian. Torre Rossa ), Greek and Joaria, and his son William I the Evil - the Kirimbi Tower. Of these towers, only the first has survived to the present. Under Roger II, a private royal chapel, the Palatine Chapel, was built and consecrated in the palace.

The heyday of the Norman Palace is associated with the names of the grandson of Roger II - Frederick II , in which the palace became the imperial residence, and Manfred . After the death of the Hohenstaufen dynasty , Palermo lost its capital status, and until the 16th century, the palace was an ordinary fortress. Most of the interiors of the Hauteville and Hohenstaufen era were lost.

From the beginning of the 16th century, the Spanish viceroy of Sicily settled in the Norman palace. During the XVI - XVII centuries, the palace was significantly expanded and rebuilt. In 1616, at the viceroy of Vilhena, the palace acquired a new grand facade, overlooking the current Piazza Victoria. In 1581 - 1584, the elegant Fountain courtyard was established ( Italian. Cortile della Fontana ), in 1598 - 1601 - the extensive Makeda courtyard , named after another viceroy. The northern face of the Makeda courtyard was the southern facade of the Palatine Chapel. In 1735, under King Karl Bourbon , a monumental staircase was built connecting the courtyard of Makeda with the royal chambers on the third floor.

Since 1947, the Regional Assembly , the Parliament of the Autonomous Region of Sicily, has been sitting at the Palazzo Normanni. Currently, the Palatine Chapel is a museum, and on certain days, visitors are allowed into the main halls of the third floor of the palace.

Facade

The western and south-western facades facing the modern Piazza Independenza retained their original Arab-Norman appearance. From these sides, the palace is represented by a fortress, with small windows, battlements. The only decoration is a pattern of false arches, typical of the Arab-Norman style.

Of the original towers of the palace, only one is preserved - the Leaning Tower of Pisa ( Italian: Torre Pisano ) or Saint Ninfa ( Italian: Torre di Santa Ninfa ). Presumably, it was in this tower that the conspirators were imprisoned on March 9 - 11, 1161, Wilhelm I Evil and his family. In 1791, Giuseppe Piazzi installed a university astronomical observatory in the tower.

The south-east facade overlooking Piazza Victoria is a typical renaissance Italian palazzo. Here is the main entrance to government offices.

Interiors

The most famous part of the palace is the Palatine Chapel . In addition to her from the Norman times preserved two more rooms. The most famous is the Roger Hall , traditionally associated with the name of Roger II , but actually performed in the reign of his son Wilhelm I the Evil . The hall is decorated with luxurious gold mosaic on secular themes that are not typical for Norman Sicily, mainly hunting is presented here. Among the palm trees , orange and lemon trees, various animals are represented in pairs, including lions and leopards . In the reign of Frederick II , imperial double-headed eagles appeared in the vault of the hall and small arches . Another room - the Hall of Squires - was accidentally opened during the restoration work at the beginning of the 20th century . In this room are four vmurovannyh half a jug - supposedly the place where the Sicilian monarchs kept their treasury .

From the royal apartments of the third floor, the hall of Hercules is the most famous, whose ceiling depicting the ascension of Hercules was performed by local artist Giuseppe Velasquez .

1. The Palatine Chapel. The Palace of Normans. - Palermo, 2008. - ISBN 978-88-7508-020-8 .
2. Art and history of Palermo and Monreale. - Florence: Bonechi, 2007. - ISBN 88-476-0207-6 .