. A history of architecture in Italy from the time of Constantine to the dawn of the renaissance. and time. TheCappella Palatina may besaid to bear much the samerelation to the cathedrals ofPalermo and Monreale whichthe Sainte Chapelle of Parisbears to the later Gothic ofFrance.^ The cathedrals of Messinaand Cefalii are both nearlycontemporary with the Cap-pella Palatina, both havingbeen founded by King Rogernot far from the year 1130.^Of the former a very smallportion, if any, retains itsoriginal architecture, thoughthe plan is probably substan-tially unchanged. It is along three-aisled basil
. A history of architecture in Italy from the time of Constantine to the dawn of the renaissance. and time. TheCappella Palatina may besaid to bear much the samerelation to the cathedrals ofPalermo and Monreale whichthe Sainte Chapelle of Parisbears to the later Gothic ofFrance.^ The cathedrals of Messinaand Cefalii are both nearlycontemporary with the Cap-pella Palatina, both havingbeen founded by King Rogernot far from the year 1130.^Of the former a very smallportion, if any, retains itsoriginal architecture, thoughthe plan is probably substan-tially unchanged. It is along three-aisled basilica ofwhich the high transept andthe three deep apses>yhich open from it inthe line of nave andaisles have the charac-teristic disposition of theNorman Sicilian cathe-drals. A reminder of the Saracen influence still remains in theslightly horseshoe form of the nave arches. Of the great wealthof mosaic decoration which enriched the original church, the greaterpart was destroyed by a disastrous conflagration early in the thir-teenth century, but the mosaics of the three apses were Cappella Palatina. 1 HittorfP, p. 43, pis. 44-47 ; Serradifaico, pis. 15-17 ; Mothes, p. 540. ^ Gaily Knig-ht says the cathedral of Messina was founded by Count Roger in 1098,and left unfinished until 1130, when King Roger completed it, Normans in Sicily,pp. 110-11 a SICILIAN ARCHITECTURE 95 The cathedral of Cefalu is one of the many mediaeval churcheswhose origin is credited by tradition to the pious gratitude of theirfounders. King Roger, so the story runs, returning in 1131 froman expedition to the Italian coast, was overtaken by a tempest inwhich he was in imminent peril of shipwreck; whereupon he made avow to build, if he got safe to shore, a church to the glory of Christ
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