Founded around 1160 by admiral Majone di Bari, in the 18th century the church was used as a post office. In the 19th century it was restored and brought back to a form more similar to the original Mediaeval edifice.
It has a rectangular plan with blind arches, partially occupied by windows. The ceiling has three characteristics red, bulge domes (cubole) and Arab-style merlons. The church provides a typical example of the Arab-Norman architecture, which is unique to Sicily. The plan of the church shows the predilection of the Normans for simple and severe forms, derived from their military formation. Moreover, the building shows how international the language of Norman architecture was at the time, as the vocabulary which marks parts of the church, like the bell tower, can be tracked down in coeval buildings like the cathedral of Laon and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen, both in Northern France, or the cathedral of Durham in England. At the same time, the church shows features shared by Islamic and Byzantine architecture, such as the preference for cubic forms, the blind arches which articulate the external walls of the church, and the typical spherical red domes on the roof.
The interior has a nave with two aisles. The naked walls are faced by spolia columns with Byzantine style arcades. The pavement is the original one and has a splendid mosaic decoration. Also original is the main altar.
The old City Wall can be seen running underneath the Church.
^ abc"La Cataldo, Palermo". Sacred Destinations. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Cataldo (Palermo).
(in Italian) Description page in Italian
January 01, 1970
church, cataldo, catholic, church, located, piazza, bellini, central, palermo, sicily, italy, erected, 1154, notable, example, arab, norman, architecture, which, flourished, sicily, under, norman, rule, island, church, annexed, that, santa, maria, dell, ammira. The Church of San Cataldo is a Catholic church located at Piazza Bellini in central Palermo Sicily Italy Erected in 1154 as a notable example of the Arab Norman architecture which flourished in Sicily under Norman rule on the island the church is annexed to that of Santa Maria dell Ammiraglio Since the 1930s it belongs to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Church of San CataldoSan Cataldo Palermo with its typical red domesReligionAffiliationCatholic ChurchProvinceKnights of the Holy Sepulchre 1 LocationLocationPiazza Bellini 3 Kalsa Palermo 90133Geographic coordinates38 06 53 N 13 21 45 E 38 1148 N 13 3625 E 38 1148 13 3625ArchitectureTypeChurchStyleRomanesque 1 Completed1154 1 UNESCO World Heritage SiteOfficial name Arab Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalu and MonrealeTypeCulturalCriteriaii ivDesignated2015 39th session Reference no 1487State Party ItalyRegionEurope and North America In 2015 it received status as a World Heritage Site Contents 1 History and overview 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory and overview edit nbsp Interior view Founded around 1160 by admiral Majone di Bari in the 18th century the church was used as a post office In the 19th century it was restored and brought back to a form more similar to the original Mediaeval edifice It has a rectangular plan with blind arches partially occupied by windows The ceiling has three characteristics red bulge domes cubole and Arab style merlons The church provides a typical example of the Arab Norman architecture which is unique to Sicily The plan of the church shows the predilection of the Normans for simple and severe forms derived from their military formation Moreover the building shows how international the language of Norman architecture was at the time as the vocabulary which marks parts of the church like the bell tower can be tracked down in coeval buildings like the cathedral of Laon and the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen both in Northern France or the cathedral of Durham in England At the same time the church shows features shared by Islamic and Byzantine architecture such as the preference for cubic forms the blind arches which articulate the external walls of the church and the typical spherical red domes on the roof The interior has a nave with two aisles The naked walls are faced by spolia columns with Byzantine style arcades The pavement is the original one and has a splendid mosaic decoration Also original is the main altar The old City Wall can be seen running underneath the Church See also editCatald Irish monk and saint Arab Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalu and Monreale History of medieval Arabic and Western European domesReferences edit a b c La Cataldo Palermo Sacred Destinations Retrieved 28 March 2013 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Cataldo Palermo in Italian Description page in Italian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Church of San Cataldo amp oldid 1185015566, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
