Cathedral of Palermo

Province of Palermo

The Cathedral of Palermo is a treasure of the Norman architecture in Sicily. 

The Cathedral of Palermo is one of the most important architectural monuments in Sicily. It was built in 1184 by the Normans as a re-converted Christian church on the site of a Muslim Mosque that was previously built over a Christian basilica. This Cathedral is a must see when visiting Palermo!

The reason for building this cathedral was to surpass in beauty the Cathedral of Monreale so you can imagine how architectural exaggeration was involved due to the competitiveness. What we see today is the result of a stratification of styles over the centuries from Gothic to Medieval, Arabic (an actual passage from the Koran is still engraved on one of the columns) to Neoclassical.

Palermo Cathedral body 1
The impressive exterior builds up high expectations for the interior which is just as lovely but not as rich as other sites around Palermo covered in gold. Explore the diversity of the art inside for what it is and you will be assured a pleasant visit. The Church itself is free to enter to visit while there are other parts of the Cathedral that can only be visited with a ticket.

The sites are:

Treasury of the Cathedral of Palermo: if you want to see precious gold , silver and enamelled objects.

Terraces : if you want to see the Cathedral with its lovely green domes and Palermo from the top.

Royal and Imperial Tombs of the Cathedral of Palermo: if you want to see the tombs of important royals and emperors. (you will see them anyway while going to the terraces)

Crypts : if you want to see highly decorated marble sculptured sarcophagi.

 

Palermo Cathedral body 2

Admission Fee:

Free for visiting only the church/ €7.00 for the Tombs, Treasury, Crypts and Terraces all together otherwise you can pay each one separately if you don’t want to see them all.

Opening Times:

Monday to Saturday from 9.00- 17.30; Sunday only the Royal Tombs from 9.00-13.00

Address:

Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 480

Tips:

Don’t go on a Sunday if you want to see all the different sites as most of them are closed, or go on Sunday if you only want to see the church and attend the mass.

17 thoughts on “Cathedral of Palermo”

  • I will be visiting Palermo in October,2018. Would like to attend Sunday Mass at the Cathedral–what are the times for Sunday Mass?

  • Please could you tell me how I could obtain a copy of the interior of this cathedral for a biography of a Sicilian barber in London over 50 years. This is to be published later this year

    I am also looking for a picture to publish on the Opera House

    With many thanks

  • Please could you tell me how I could obtain a copy of the interior of this cathedral for a biography of a Sicilian barber in London over 50 years. This is to be published later this year

    I am also looking for a picture on the Opera House

    With many thanks

  • Please could you tell me how I could obtain a copy of the interior of this cathedral for a biography of a Sicilian barber in London over 50 years. This is to be published later this year

    With many thanks

  • Is it possible for me to publish the internal picture of Palermo Cathedral in a Biography of a Sicilian Barber fifty years in London?

  • Is it possible for me to publish the internal picture of Palermo Cathedral in a Biography of a Sicilian Barber of fifty years in London?

  • I will be in Palermo Saturday 10/19th . Is there an evening Mass or an early Mass on Sunday morning 10/20th.

    Thank you

  • Hi Dear,
    DO you accept wedding ? how much is cost if you do? We are looking around end of sept or 1st week of Oct 2025.

    Thank you

    God Bless

    Kind Regards,
    Josh

Have a Question or Comment?

Your email address will not be published.

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.