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The Cappella Palatina or Palace Chapel
OUR STUDENTS OF CLASS 3L, TOGETHER WITH OUR
TEACHERS, HAVE CHOSEN TO LET YOU KNOW ONE OF THE
MOST IMPORTANT AND BEAUTIFUL MONUMENTS IN
OUR TOWN THE CAPPELLA PALATINA OR THE PALACE
CHAPEL, SITUATED INSIDE THE NORMAN ROYAL PALACE
IN PALERMO.
Here we are drawing the images of the archangels
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The Cappella Palatina or Palace Chapel

• Roger II ordered to build the Place Chapel in
  1032. It was consecrated in 1140, and dedicated
  to Saint Peter the Apostle. It is in the Royal
  Palace (Norman Palace) and it was realized by
  Arab, Norman and Byzantine labour forces, who
  used the technique of the mosaics. The panels
  represent stories of saints, prophets, angels ,
  archangels, scenes from the Gospel and the Bible
  . The most important of these mosaics is the
  Pantocrator, the omnipotent Lord. The Palatine
  Chapel was defined a true miracle of space and
  decorative harmony. The decorations were born on
  the convergence of different cultural experiences
  among the Islamic, Norman and Byzantine styles .
  The chapel has a basilica layout. The altar dates
  back to 1700. In the crypt of the Palatine
  Chapel there is the treasure. It contains silver
  dishes, liturgical objects and precious caskets.

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• The Cappella Palatina or Palace Chapel ,
  that is in the Royal Palace (Norman palace) has
  a basilica layout with three naves below a single
  cupola on corner niches. The arcade between
  naves and aisles are supported by low columns.
• The upper zones of dome, transept, and
  apses are entirely decorated with splendid
  byzantines mosaics , that are among the most
  important in Sicily. The decoration in the dome
  symbolizes the Heavenly Realm, the transept and
  the choir show the Terrestrial Church, with
  saints, prophets and evangelists. There are some
  scenes of Christs life on Earth. In the nave
  there is a series of Old Testament scenes, from
  the creation of the world, to Jacobs struggle
  with the Angel. In the dome is the Pantocrator,
  the omnipotent Lord, blessing the world. He is
  surrounded by four Archangels and four Angels of
  the Lord. In the squinches of the drum are the
  four Evangelists who brought the light of Heaven
  to the people of the world. The oldest are those
  in the dome, that go up to 1143. The ceiling is
  a wooden stalactite construction of a highly
  complex Islamic design decorated with birds,
  lions, palms, peacocks and dancing and hunting
  figures that rappresent the life of the
  aristocracy.

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Lay out of the chapel
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Left side of central nave
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Right side of central nave
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The plan of the Chapel is rectangular and it is
divided into two parts the presbytery and the
three naves space with ten granite columns. The
floor is made in marble with varied inlaying in
rich colours and gold.
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The presbytery is on a higher level than the rest
of the church and the nave is divided into three
apses.
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In the right transept there is the image of S.
Paul surrounded by scenes of the life of Christ
on Earth. In the left transept is the figure of
S. Andrew (who in the XIV century took the place
of that of the more ancient S. Peter). Beside
him are the Holy Mother with Child, called
Odigitria and John the Baptist preaching in the
desert.
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In the dome is the Pantocrator, the omnipotent
Lord, blessing the world. He is surrounded by
four Archangels and four Angels.
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The wooden ceilings is a stalactite construction
(called mugarnas) of a complex Islamic design and
very splendidly decorated. It is a combination of
human figures, symbolic forms, animals and
flowers. The colours blue, white and red are the
typical Islamic favourites
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Archangel Michael
Michael is one of the Archangels of the Bible. He
is evoked to have a serene death. He is
celebrated on September 29 together with Raphael
and Gabriel. The image of the Archangel Michael
both for the cult and for the iconography, is
taken from the Apocalypse. The Byzantine
iconography prefers the image of the Archangel
clothed as a dignitary courtier. The cult of
the Archangel Michael is of eastern origins.
According to the tradition, the Archangel
appeared to some country people in a cave at
Mount Saint Angel. The cult of this Archangel
was much dear to the Longobards and in Italy, he
is the Patron Saint of many villages.
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The Archangel Michael

• Raphael is one of the seven angels who are in the
  presence of God. His name means God has healed.
  He is the angel with thaumaturgic powers. He was
  defined one of the seven angels that are before
  God and that have access to His Majesty. He was
  also defined Archangel, guardian angel, angel
  that accompanies, protector of the teenagers who
  leave their homes for the first time. Rafael is
  represented as a pilgrim. He is the angel of the
  Apocalypse, leader of the angelic order of
  virtues, guardian of the tree of life, which is
  in the Garden of Eden and he is the protector of
  the first day of the week (Monday). He is also
  the angel of science and of knowledge and the
  guardian of bodily health and spiritual
  salvation. He represents the certainty of the
  help of God.

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Archangel Uriel

• The Archangel Uriele is one of the four
  Archangels
• excommunicated and worshipped in the Middle Ages.
  In the
• Hebraic texts, he is called Fanuele. In these
  texts the
• Archangels is presented as that of thunders and
  tremors,
• identified as the Angel banished from Earthly
  Paradise,
• guardian of Noe and of John the Baptist,
  messenger of the
• Resurrection of Jesus Christ to the women. In
  Hebrew,
• Uriel means God is my light, or Radiation of
  God. In
• the medieval iconography Uriel holds a sword of
  fire.
• We know the names of the seven dwarfs, but do we
  know
• the names of the seven Archangels? The most
  prepared ones
• arrive at Michael, Gabriel and Raphael the other
  four do
• not appear in any enciclopedia.
• It was to avoid abuses that some synods and
  councils, that
• of Laodicea in 360, the one in Rome in 745 and
  that held at
• Aquisgrana in 789, prohibited explicitly, under
  penalty of
• excommunication, to give whatsoever name to the
• Archangels, other than those of the biblicals
  Michael,
• Gabriel and Raphael. The seven Archangels
  therefore

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Archangel Gabriel
The Archangel Gabriel is a semi divine figure
that appears in the Jewish, Christians and
Islamic traditions. In the Jewish-Christian
theogony, Gabriel is one of the three Archangels.
Gabriel is the celestial messenger that appears
to reveal Gods Will. The name derives from the
Jew and means "God is strong" or also "God's
man." In different moments of the Bible, he
brought man the message of God. He appears as an
angel, a young winged androgynous figure and
sometimes he has a diadem. His attribute is the
lily brought to the Virgin in the Annunciation.
Gabriel is the angel sent by God and appears
twice in the Old Testament. He was sent to the
Prophet Daniel to help him interpret the meaning
of a vision and to foretell the coming of the
Messiah. In the New Testament he appears in two
important announcements of birth he appears to
Zachariah, to announce the birth of the Baptist,
and then to the Virgin Mary with the announcement
of the birth of Christ. As the angels and the
archangels, Gabriel holds a long wand of the
ostiary that can be replaced by the lily, symbol
of the Virgin Mary. He is the Saint Protector
of communication (radio, cinema, television).
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The mosaics decoration of the central nave show a
series of Old Testament scenes, from the
creation of the world, to Jacobs struggle with
the Angel.
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Annexed to the Chapel there is a Crypt with
the Treasure. It contains silver, sacred
hangings, liturgical objects, silver urns and
precious caskets, and a Tabularium of Greek,
Latin and Arab manuscripts from the XI to the
XVIII century.