Name of Monument:

Remains of the Great Mosque in Palermo inside the Chapel of the Incoronata

Location:

Palermo, Italy

Date of Monument:

Hegira 3rd century / AD 9th century

Period / Dynasty:

Aghlabid

Description:

Inside the chapel located behind the cathedral, there are some remains of column and pillar bases embedded in the walls of the chapel, in particular in the area of the pronaos and the apse, dating from the Aghlabid era (AH 3rd / AD 9th century). They must have supported the ceiling of a long columned room (18 m long and 3.8 m wide) that was probably part of the great mosque that was discovered during alteration works on the old Byzantine church.

The remains of bases of columns and pillars embedded in the structure of the chapel have been dated to the time of Islamic rule, and may have been used to support the roof of a room that was probably part of the great mosque of the city.

How Monument was dated:

From structural analysis of the masonry.

Selected bibliography:

Bellafiore, G., Architettura in Sicilia nell’età Islamica e Normanna (827–1190), Palermo, 1990.
Di Stefano, G., Monumenti della Sicilia Normanna, Palermo, 1955.
Siculo-Norman Art: Islamic Culture in Medieval Sicily, p.100.

Citation of this web page:

Pier Paolo Racioppi "Remains of the Great Mosque in Palermo inside the Chapel of the Incoronata" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;it;Mon01;5;en

Prepared by: Pier Paolo RacioppiPier Paolo Racioppi

Laureato e specializzato in storia dell'arte presso l'Università di Roma “La Sapienza” sta conseguendo il dottorato di ricerca in Storia e conservazione dell'oggetto d'arte e d'architettura presso l'Università di Roma TRE. Ha svolto attività seminariali presso l'Istituto di Storia dell'Arte all'Università La Sapienza di Roma e attualmente è docente di storia dell'arte del Rinascimento presso la IES at Luiss (Roma).
Ha pubblicato diversi contributi sulla tutela artistica, il collezionismo e le accademie d'arte, ed ha collaborato al Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani dell'Enciclopedia Treccani.
Translation by: Laurence Nunny
Translation copyedited by: Monica Allen

MWNF Working Number: IT 05