The Church of La Martorana in Palermo, March 2005
The Church of La Martorana in Palermo, March 2005
The Remains(?) of Columns from the Convent of La M…
The Teatro Massimo in Palermo, March 2005
Piazza Castelnuovo in Palermo, 2005
Teatro Politeama & Statue of Garibaldi in Palermo,…
Detail of the Teatro Politeama in Palermo, 2005
Detail of the Quadriga on the top of the Teatro Po…
Teatro Politeama in Palermo, 2005
The Teatro Politeama in Palermo at Night, March 20…
Bingo Hall across from the Teatro Politeama in Pal…
Villa on the Way to La Zisa in Palermo, March 2005
La Zisa, a Medieval Castle in Palermo, March 2005
La Zisa, a Medieval Castle in Palermo, March 2005
Detail of La Zisa, a Medieval Castle in Palermo, M…
La Zisa, a Medieval Castle in Palermo, March 2005
Remains of the Pond in from of La Zisa, a Medieval…
Norman Mosaic and Fountain in La Zisa, a Medieval…
Norman Mosaic and Fountain in La Zisa, a Medieval…
Norman Mosaic and Fountain in La Zisa, a Medieval…
Detail of the Norman Mosaic in La Zisa, a Medieval…
Detail of the Norman Mosaic in La Zisa, a Medieval…
Bridal Shop in Palermo, March 2005
Detail of the Norman Mosaic in La Zisa, a Medieval…
Small Bridal Shop in Palermo, March 2005
The Church of Santa Maria della Catene in Palermo,…
The Church of Santa Maria della Catene in Palermo,…
The Porta Felice in Palermo, March 2005
War-Torn Building Near the Marionette Museum in Pa…
A Building in the Botanical Gardens in Palermo, Ma…
Piazza San Domenico in Palermo, 2005
A Store Across from the Church of San Domenico in…
Column in Front of the Church of San Domenico in P…
Vucciria Market in Palermo, 2005
Alley Near the Vucciria Market in Palermo, March 2…
Vucciria Market in Palermo, 2005
Exterior of the Church of Santa Theresa in Palermo…
The Kalsa Gate in Palermo, March 2005
A Baroque Church in Palermo, March 2005
The Duomo, or Cathedral of Palermo, March 2005
The Duomo, or Cathedral of Palermo, March 2005
Plan of "Building A" a Roman House in Villa Bonnan…
Remains of a Roman House in the Villa Bonnano Park…
Remains of a Roman House in the Villa Bonnano Park…
Remains of a Cistern in a Roman House in the Villa…
Remains of a Roman Floor Mosaic in Villa Bonnano P…
Remains of a Black and White Roman Floor Mosaic in…
Exterior of the Norman Palace in Palermo, March 20…
Interior Courtyard Inside the Norman Palace in Pal…
A Street near the Norman Palace on the way to the…
The Church of St. John of the Hermits in Palermo,…
The Church of St. John of the Hermits in Palermo,…
The Church of St. John of the Hermits in Palermo,…
The Cloister in St. John of the Hermits in Palermo…
The Cloister in St. John of the Hermits in Palermo…
La Cuba, a Medieval Castle in Palermo, March 2005
St.Germain Chateaux 2004
St.Germain Chateaux 2004
The Town and RER Stop in St.Germain en-Laye, 2004
St. Germain Chateaux, 2004
St. Germain Chateaux, 2004
St. Germain Chateaux, 2004
St. Germain Chateaux, 2004
The Church of La Martorana in Palermo, March 2005
The Church of La Martorana in Palermo, March 2005
The Belltower of Church of La Martorana in Palermo…
The Belltower of Church of La Martorana in Palermo…
The Church of San Cataldo in Palermo, March 2005
The Church of San Cataldo in Palermo, March 2005
Interior of the Baroque Church of Santa Caterina i…
Interior of the Baroque Church of Santa Caterina,…
The High Altar in the Baroque Church of Santa Cate…
The Exterior of the Church of Santa Caterina in Pa…
The "Fountain of Shame" in Palermo, March 2005
The "Fountain of Shame" in Palermo, March 2005
The "Fountain of Shame" in Palermo, March 2005
The "Fountain of Shame" in Palermo, March 2005
The "Fountain of Shame" in Palermo, March 2005
Quattro Canti, the "Four Corners" of Palermo, Marc…
Detail of One Corner of Quattro Canti, the "Four C…
Quattro Canti, the "Four Corners" of Palermo, Marc…
Exterior of the Church of San Guiseppe (St. Joseph…
Quattro Canti, the "Four Corners" of Palermo, Marc…
Quattro Canti, the "Four Corners" of Palermo, Marc…
View of a Building and Street in the Historic Dist…
The Hotel del Centro in Palermo, March 2005
The Smithsonian Castle in Washington DC, Sept. 200…
The Smithsonian Castle in Washington DC, Sept. 200…
The Smithsonian Castle in Washington DC, Sept. 200…
The Smithsonian Castle in Washington DC, Sept. 200…
Mansion in Washington DC, January 2011
Mansion in Washington DC, January 2011
Mansion in Washington DC, January 2011
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Mansion in Washington DC, January 2011
The Seagram Building, May 2011
The Seagram Building, May 2011
The Seagram Building, May 2011
Fighters at the Agincourt Event, Nov. 2005
The Serapeum in Ostia Antiqua, June 1995
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The Decumanus, Near the Macellum in Ostia Antiqua,…
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Street of the House of Diana in Ostia Antiqua, 199…
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Modern House & Palm Trees in Manhattan Beach, 2005
Stairs Leading to the Getty Center, July 2003
Fountain at the Getty Center, July 2003
The Church and Catacombs of San Giovanni in Syracu…
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The Belltower of Church of La Martorana in Palermo, March 2005
La Martorana, also known as Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (Saint Mary of the Admiral), is a church in Palermo (Sicily, Italy). The church is annexed to the next-door church of San Cataldo and overlooks the Piazza Bellini in central Palermo.
The name Ammiraglio (admiral) derives from the founder of the church, the Greek admiral and principle minister of Roger II of Sicily, George of Antioch. The foundation charter of the church, in Greek and Arabic, is preserved and dates to 1143; construction may already have begun at this point. The church had certainly been completed by the death of George in 1151, and he and his wife were interred in the narthex. In 1184 the Arab traveller Ibn Jubayr visited the church, and later devoted a significant portion of his description of Palermo to its praise, describing it as "the most beautiful monument in the world." After the Sicilian Vespers of 1282 the island's nobility gathered in the church for a meeting that resulted in the Sicilian crown being offered to Peter III of Aragon.
In 1193-94, a convent of Benedictine nuns was founded on adjacent property by Eloisa Martorana. In 1433-34, under the rule of King Alfonso of Aragon, this convent absorbed the church, which has since then been commonly known as La Martorana. The nuns extensively modified the church between the 16th century and the 18th century, making major changes to the structure and the interior decoration.
The nuns of the Martorana were famous for their moulded marzipan, which they made in the form of various fruits. Although the convent no longer exists, frutta di Martorana are still one of Palermo's most famous and distinctive foodstuffs.
In 1935 Benito Mussolini returned the church to the control of Palermo's Greek Orthodox community. It is still used today for Greek Orthodox services and shares cathedral status with the church of San Demetrio in Piana degli Albanesi.
The original church was built in the form of a compact cross-in-square ("Greek cross plan"), a common south Italian and Sicilian variation on the standard middle Byzantine architecture Byzantine church type. The three apses in the east adjoin directly on the naos, instead of being separated by an additional bay, as was usual in contemporary Byzantine architecture in the Balkans and Asia Minor. In the first century of its existence the church was expanded in three distinct phases; first through the addition of a narthex to house the tombs of George of Antioch and his wife; next through the addition of a forehall; and finally through the construction of a centrally-aligned campanile at the west. The campanile, which is richly decorated with three orders of arches and lodges with mullioned windows, still serves as the main entrance to the church. Significant later additions to the church include the Baroque façade which today faces onto the piazza. In the late 19th century, historically-minded restorers attempted to retain the church to its original state, although many elements of the Baroque modifications remain.
Certain elements of the original church, in particular its exterior decoration, show the influence of Islamic architecture on the culture of Norman Sicily. A frieze bearing a dedicatory inscription runs along the top of the exterior walls; although its text is in Greek, its architectural form references the Islamic architecture of north Africa. The recessed niches on the exterior walls are likewise derive from the Islamic architectural tradition. In the interior, a series of wooden beams at the base of the dome bear a painted inscription in Arabic; the text is derived from the Christian liturgy (the Epinikios Hymn and the Great Doxology). The church also boasted an elaborate pair of carved wooden doors, today installed in the south façade of the western extension, which relate strongly to the artistic traditions of Fatimid north Africa. On account of these "Arabic" elements, the Martorana has been compared with its Palerman contemporary, the Cappella Palatina, which exhibits a similar hybrid of Byzantine and Islamic
The name Ammiraglio (admiral) derives from the founder of the church, the Greek admiral and principle minister of Roger II of Sicily, George of Antioch. The foundation charter of the church, in Greek and Arabic, is preserved and dates to 1143; construction may already have begun at this point. The church had certainly been completed by the death of George in 1151, and he and his wife were interred in the narthex. In 1184 the Arab traveller Ibn Jubayr visited the church, and later devoted a significant portion of his description of Palermo to its praise, describing it as "the most beautiful monument in the world." After the Sicilian Vespers of 1282 the island's nobility gathered in the church for a meeting that resulted in the Sicilian crown being offered to Peter III of Aragon.
In 1193-94, a convent of Benedictine nuns was founded on adjacent property by Eloisa Martorana. In 1433-34, under the rule of King Alfonso of Aragon, this convent absorbed the church, which has since then been commonly known as La Martorana. The nuns extensively modified the church between the 16th century and the 18th century, making major changes to the structure and the interior decoration.
The nuns of the Martorana were famous for their moulded marzipan, which they made in the form of various fruits. Although the convent no longer exists, frutta di Martorana are still one of Palermo's most famous and distinctive foodstuffs.
In 1935 Benito Mussolini returned the church to the control of Palermo's Greek Orthodox community. It is still used today for Greek Orthodox services and shares cathedral status with the church of San Demetrio in Piana degli Albanesi.
The original church was built in the form of a compact cross-in-square ("Greek cross plan"), a common south Italian and Sicilian variation on the standard middle Byzantine architecture Byzantine church type. The three apses in the east adjoin directly on the naos, instead of being separated by an additional bay, as was usual in contemporary Byzantine architecture in the Balkans and Asia Minor. In the first century of its existence the church was expanded in three distinct phases; first through the addition of a narthex to house the tombs of George of Antioch and his wife; next through the addition of a forehall; and finally through the construction of a centrally-aligned campanile at the west. The campanile, which is richly decorated with three orders of arches and lodges with mullioned windows, still serves as the main entrance to the church. Significant later additions to the church include the Baroque façade which today faces onto the piazza. In the late 19th century, historically-minded restorers attempted to retain the church to its original state, although many elements of the Baroque modifications remain.
Certain elements of the original church, in particular its exterior decoration, show the influence of Islamic architecture on the culture of Norman Sicily. A frieze bearing a dedicatory inscription runs along the top of the exterior walls; although its text is in Greek, its architectural form references the Islamic architecture of north Africa. The recessed niches on the exterior walls are likewise derive from the Islamic architectural tradition. In the interior, a series of wooden beams at the base of the dome bear a painted inscription in Arabic; the text is derived from the Christian liturgy (the Epinikios Hymn and the Great Doxology). The church also boasted an elaborate pair of carved wooden doors, today installed in the south façade of the western extension, which relate strongly to the artistic traditions of Fatimid north Africa. On account of these "Arabic" elements, the Martorana has been compared with its Palerman contemporary, the Cappella Palatina, which exhibits a similar hybrid of Byzantine and Islamic
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