Roger II created a Norman kingdom in Sicily that is noted for its tolerance. It was considered rare that a kingdom contained religious diversity in relative harmony with each other, but this kingdom was known for its relative harmony. This kingdom was continued by his grandson, William II. He was the last of the direct Norman d’Hauteville line to rule Sicily. This paper will examine two cathedrals: Cefalu, (built by Roger II), and Monreale, (built by William II). These cathedrals are bookends to the Norman reign of the d’Hauteville in Sicily. They were both designed to be dynastic burial sites for the d’Hauteville Family. Roger II and his heirs desired to show themselves as heirs to the Davidic Monarchy in The Bible. The building and mosaic program at Cefalu and Monreale visually established them as rulers outside of the authority and tradition of the Roman papacy. This was accomplished through the use of legends, mosaic programs, representing themselves as receiving authority from God without the need for intercession by the clergy, and the melding of an ethnically and religiously diverse culture. Roger II used miraculous events to influence public opinion and create a rationale for the creation of the cathedral at Cefalu. William II also used miraculous events to influence public opinion and create a rationale for the establishment of the cathedral at Monreale. In the establishment of Cefalu and Monreale the use of miraculous events explain the reasoning for the building of these cathedrals. These stories of the miraculous become legends that are used by both kings and bishops in relationship to the cathedrals. These legends give credence to the need to establish kingship or curb the power of a... ... middle of paper ... ...les E. "Builders, Patrons, and Identity: The Domed Basilicas of Sicily and Calabria." Gesta 43, no. 2 (2004): 99-114. Norwich, John Julius. The Normans in Sicily: The Normans in the South 1016-1130 And, The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194. London: Penguin, 1992. Runeiman, Steven. "Sicily: An Introduction." Mediterranean Studies 5 (1955): 1-5. Sheppard, Carl D., Jr. "Iconography of the Cloister of Monreale." The Art Bulletin 31, no. 3 (1949): 159-69. Sheppard, Carl D., Jr. "A Stylistic Analysis of the Cloister of Monreale." The Art Bulletin 34, no. 1 (1952): 35-41. Takayama, Hiroshi. "Central Power and Multi-Cultural Elements at the Norman Court of Sicily." Mediterranean Studies 12 (2003): 1-15. Tronzo, William. The Cultures of His Kingdom: Roger II and the Cappella Palatina in Palermo. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1997.
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Parker Camp St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Savannah versus Chartres Cathedral Comparison Essay Thesis: Both St. John the Baptist Cathedral and Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Chartres are constructed in French Gothic style which means that architecturally they have many similarities. However, the 700 year gap between their construction offers St. John the Baptist more flexibility in design and style. Still, their likeness and variations extend far beyond the realm of their design. Fall 2014
Plate 108. N.d. A History Of Lindale. Rome: Art Department of Rome, 1997. XL. Print.
St Peter’s basilica which is built based on rational form of architecture is a Late Renaissance church located within Vatican City, designed by Donato Bramante. Its significant history is that according to the Catholic tradition this was the place that Saint Peter was buried. Not so far away...
The First Crusade was a widely appealing armed pilgrimage, and mobilized a vast conquering force at a time when the Christian Church was moving towards centralization and greater political influence in Europe. The Church gained a wider audience more accepting of its leadership, benefitted economically, and developed its own militarily force. These outcomes, along with the Church’s documented ambition to expand and its reversal of prior teachings, support the idea that the First Crusade was a deliberate political maneuver, intended to to expand and consolidate the authority of the
Kings often struggled with the Church over power and land, both trying desperately to obtain them, both committing atrocities to hold onto them. Time and time again, the Popes of the postclassical period went to great extremes to secure the Church’s position in the world. Both the Crusades and the Inquisition are examples of this. D...
The sacred space of the Cathedral of Chartres in France and the Parthenon will be discussed in comparison with each other.
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