Il tema delle absidi nelle Cattedrali normanne di Palermo e Cefalù tra storia, storiografia e restauri

Abstract

The essay illustrates the main characteristics of the Norman apses of the Cathedrals of Palermo and Cefalù, with specific reference to the themes of the cleristory (or internal gallery or ambulatory) and the relative connections at height . These areas, in Sicilian architecture in which Arab, Byzantine and Norman characters are hybridized in a splendid mix, have been the subject of a rich Sicilian historiographical production, which is accounted for. The interpretation of history and of the transformations that have affected complexes of such high value, experienced through documents and critical reasoning on the reliefs with the hypothesis of restitution, allows us to make a contribution to the problematic theme of the relationships between history, project and restoration which, although in the purpose before conservation, it cannot ignore the recognition of the value necessary to develop a critical awareness that substantiates its 'cultural' character.