PALAZZO DEI NORMANNI AND PALATINE CHAPEL, History

Hi, my name’s Rick, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the Wonders of the World: Palazzo dei Normanni, the Royal Palace of Palermo, with the extraordinary Palatine Chapel.

The imposing Palazzo dei Normanni, which is currently the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, has a long, complex history. It sits at the highest point in the city, where the Carthaginians and then the Romans probably built their defenses. Thereafter, the Arabs, who occupied Sicily and made Palermo their splendid capital, build the Qasr, or Castle, in this area. When the Normans ousted the Arabs, they rebuilt the fortress.

Thus, the construction you can admire today is for the most part the result of work carried out on the orders of the Norman, Roger II. After he became king of Sicily in 1130, he transferred his residence here, and had a palace of legendary beauty built, as you can see in the only two parts from the time that have survived: the Ruggero Hall and the Palatine Chapel.

This period of splendor continued under Emperor Frederick II, whose court played a leading cultural role in Italy and Europe....