Tag: cathedral in Cefalù

The Cathedral of the Transfiguration is the Cathedral of Cefalù, dedicated to the Most Holy Saviour (Santissimo Salvatore). The church, built in Romanesque style, dominates the skyline of the medieval town with its fortress-like appearance.   SHORT HISTORY The Cathedral of Cefalù was built by Roger II of Altavilla, King of Sicily, Puglia and Calabria, in the year 1131. According to legend, the king, traveling by ship from Salerno to Palermo, came across a storm, and vowed to build a church there, after he landed safe on the city’s beach. The work began with the laying of the foundation stone on Sunday, June 7, the day of Pentecost, in the year 1131. The king was present at the ceremony, along with the Archbishop of Messina Ugone and the Sicilian nobility. In 1145, the church was established as the mausoleum of the royal family of Altavilla, but the will of Roger II was never fulfilled, because he died suddenly on February 28, 1154, in Palermo, and was buried in the crypt of the Cathedral of Palermo. At the death of Roger II, only the presbytery area of the church was completed, and in the following years the interest moved to the Read more [...]