Cefalu Cathedral, Sicily

Where Gumbo Was, #213

I’ve visited more churches, I’ve been told, than any of my more religious friends, and it’s not because I’m becoming religious. I think of them as a combination of history and art museums, and Cefalu Cathedral is a great example.

But first, a shout-out to the four who solved the puzzle: In order, George G, Jonathan L, GarryRF and PortMoresby.

For a start, Cefalu’s cathedral owes its existence largely to a decades-long series of wars and power-grabs among the Norman counts and kings who had come to control Sicily and most of southern Italy in the 11th century. By the early 12th century, Roger (Ruggiero) II of Sicily felt it wise to build a new cathedral, a fortress-like one, away from Palermo and the influence of his rivals. Add in a schism with two popes, one supporting Roger and one against him, and you see why.

So, in 1131, he chose Cefalu on the northern coast, 50 miles east of Palermo. Like the other great early cathedrals in Sicily—Monreale and Palermo—it provides a fascinating look at architecture. It’s in what’s often called Arab-Norman style, already separated from Romanesque, but only showing faint traces of the later Gothic. It’s part of the UNESCO Heritage site that also includes Arab-Norman buildings in Palermo and Monreale.

Because Sicily had also been under Islamic for nearly 200 years when the Normans arrived, and had been ruled by the Byzantine empire before that, the Cathedral is full of artistic contradictions: bits of Arabic calligraphy, Byzantine style mosaics and images.

And a pattern and technique that also appears in the other Arab-Norman treasures of Sicily, including the Monreale cathedral and the Capella Palatina in Palermo.

Elements of styles added over the later ages since are also clearly in evidence.

Some elements are even older; it’s believed that a number of the columns in the aisles are scavenged from an earlier temple of Diana nearby. And elements are still being scavenged, including from the cathedral itself, for further renovation.

And then add in that the cathedral is still in use as the seat of the Diocese of Cefalu, and also has modern elements, both some windows and a throne. And of course, in between the oldest and the newest there were many additions of art and furnishing.

But of all the things we saw there, the ones that intrigued me the most was ‘the man who wasn’t there,’ an unsuccessfully-erased image on a pillar. That’s when I knew I’d be doing Cefalu as a Where in the World puzzle.

It’s not the only washed-out image to be found, if you look, but it is the clearest. Well, clearest visually: I’ve yet to see a truly clear answer for the image’s near-disappearance, nor for its persistence. I’ve looked through hundreds of pictures of the cathedral art on-line, and haven’t found him or an answer.

So, until someone comes along with better, I can only offer the two best speculations I’ve been treated to: the image was painted with material that bonded so well with the column that attempts to simplify the church’s appearance at some point in its history failed to remove it, or that it awaits restoration. If I hear back from the diocese or the archaeological authorities, I’ll update the post, but so far no response.

Meanwhile, here are some more pictures of the cathedral, which is well worth the drive out from Palermo.

Cefalu is about an hour or so driving from Palermo, and there are many Cefalu tours available from Palermo that will will do the driving for you. If you’re a beach person, note that Cefalu is one of the most popular beach resorts on the north coast of Sicily.

And if you want a real challenge, there’s a long and winding trail to the top of La Rocca, the huge granite chunk that dominates the view behind the cathedral. It was the site of the Arab citadel that defended the town. TG contributor IslandMan made the climb, and was rewarded with this view of the town and cathedral from the top.