- Type
- Palace / château
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 38.1113°, 13.3534°
History
In the 9th century the Arab emirs built a fortress on the highest ground of Palermo, which the Normans took over after capturing the city in 1072. Roger II made it his royal palace after his coronation in 1130 and added the Palatine Chapel, consecrated in 1140. Under Frederick II of Hohenstaufen the palace was the heart of a court that fostered the Sicilian School of poetry. The Spanish viceroys remodelled it in the 16th and 17th centuries, adding Renaissance courtyards and new façades. Since 1947 it has been the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly.
What to see
The highlight is the Palatine Chapel, with golden mosaics by Byzantine masters and a wooden muqarnas ceiling painted by Arab artists. The royal apartments preserve King Roger's Hall, decorated with mosaics of animals and plants. Together with the chapel, the palace belongs to Arab-Norman Palermo, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q1473825
Popularity: articles about this site in 25 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).