72  THE PROVINCE OF PALERMO ENVIRONS OF PALERMO: MONREALE  73

interlacing arches of limestone and lava-stone, can be seen from Via del Arcivescovado. The entrance is beneath the portico along the north side built in 1547–69 by Gian Do-menico and Fazio Gagini, complete with benches. Here the portal has a mosaic frieze and a wonderful bronze door by Barisano da Trani (1179).

Interior of the cathedralThe interior (102m by 40m), remarkably simple in design but glittering with golden and coloured mosaics covering a surface of over 6400m square, gives an immediate impression of majesty and splendour. Similar in concept to the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, the design is carried out on a much greater scale. Beyond the rectangular crossing, surmounted by a high lantern, with shallow transepts, is a deep presbytery with three apses, recalling the plan of Cluniac abbey churches. The stilted arches in the nave are carried on 18 slender columns with composite capitals, of Roman origin, all of granite except the first on the south side, which is of cipollino marble and repre-sents the archbishop. The ceiling of the nave was restored after a fire in 1811, and then

restored again in the 1980s when the 19th-century timber proved to be full of termites; that of the choir bears the stamp of Arab workmanship.

The mosaicsThe magnificent series of mosaics tell in pictures the Old and New Testaments (NB: Coin-operated lights are essential to see the exquisite details; binoculars are useful). It is not known whether only Greek, or local craftsmen trained by Byzantine artists, were in-volved in this remarkable project, and the exact date of its completion is uncertain (thought to be around 1182). The large scenes chosen to illustrate the theme of Christ’s Ascension and the Assumption of the Virgin fit an overall scheme designed to celebrate the Norman monarchy and to emphasize its affinity with Jerusalem. Under the rich decoration of the upper walls runs an elegant marble and mosaic dado in the Arab style.Nave: Above the arcade the Genesis cycle begins in a double tier, starting with the up-per row at the eastern end of the south side with the Creation and continuing round

MONREALE CATHEdRAL:  wEST FRONT

Nave

Crossing1

2

3

4

Cloister

Presbytery

Entrance to roof

Cappella del Crocifisso

Fountain

monreale cathedral

AGRIGENTO: VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES 193192 THE PROVINCE OF AGRIGENTO

exceptional archaeological museum (open 9–7; Sun, Mon and holidays 9–1; sometimes open until midnight in Aug; T: 0922 401565), spaciously arranged in a 1960s building. It is approached from the car park to the north through a garden and the 14th-century cloisters of the convent attached to the church of San Nicola. In the cloisters is a long stone bench carrying an inscription to Herakles and Hermes found in the gymnasium by the lower agora.

nos (440–430 bc) shows a sacrifice to Apollo. At the end of the hall is a fine marble statue of a warrior (c. 480 bc), belonging to the Early Classical period, that may have adorned part of the pedi-ment of the Temple of Herakles.

Room IV: Architectonic fragments including a remarkable variety of lion-head water-spouts from various build-ings (including the Temple of Herakles and the Temple of Demeter). Room V: Statuettes and heads in terra-cotta. Note the female votive statues, the mask of a black African of the 6th cen-tury bc, two cases of moulds, and a head of Athena with a helmet (c. 490 bc). The highlight is the 5th-century bc terracotta head of Persephone in case 51, showing her with a firm chin and a strong nose; the statuette was modelled by hand (you can still vaguely see the fingerprints of the craftsman) and not made using a mould. The cases on the north side of the room contain finds from the area near the Temple of Herakles, including architectonic fragments in terracotta.Room VI: Devoted to finds from the Temple of Zeus. Here the remarkable telamon (7.6m high) is displayed, which was recomposed from fragments in the 19th century (a copy is on display in the temple itself); along the north wall are three colossal telamon heads illustrating three different types. The blocks of stone were originally covered with plaster. Plans and models suggest possible recon-structions of the temple, and the as-yet unresolved position of the telamones. Room VII: Fragments of wall-paintings and mosaics from the Hellenistic and Roman housing district, and a fantastic cork model showing one possible recon-struction of the Temple of Zeus.Rooms VIII and IX: The coin collection is displayed in a new gallery with well-written descriptive panels explaining the development of Agrigentine coinage. Four beautifully-lit display cases are equipped with movable magnifying

Room I: Beyond the ticket booth, between the bookshop and the entry barriers, are a couple of posters provid-ing basic information about the history, topography and ancient sources for Akragas.Room II: Early and late Bronze-Age ma-terial from sites near Agrigento, includ-ing a small Mycenaean amphora (prob-ably found at Porto Empedocle) and

painted vases. Also prehistoric objects found in Agrigento beneath the Classi-cal area. Around the corner are objects from nearby Gela (6th–7th centuries bc), including Corinthian and Rhodian ware (note the head of a bull), as well as locally-made vases. A small dish shows the three-legged symbol of Sicily, the Trinacria or Triskeles, one of its earliest known depictions (7th century bc).

The bull of phalaris

Phalaris, the 6th-century bc tyrant of Akragas is said to have had a hollow bronze bull built, into which he would force his victims and then light a fire underneath. As they roasted, their shrieks would issue from the creature’s mouth, reverberat-ing against the metal to sound like a bull in full bellow. Inevitably this instrument of torture has given rise to theory and speculation. Could there be a Cretan con-nection? Daedalus the inventor, who by curious coincidence emerges as the legendary founder of Akragas, was employed by King Minos and built a hollow cow for Minos’ wife, Pasiphaë, to climb inside after she conceived a blind passion for a bull. The bull had his way with her, resulting in the birth of the Minotaur, half-man, half-bull, to whom children were sacrificed. But if Phalaris’ bull was an instrument of ritual sacrifice, then was there also perhaps a Phoenician connec-tion? The Phoenician sacrificial burial-ground dedicated to Baal at Mozia seems to yield traces of child sacrifice. Such connections are ill-explored and scholars give them short shrift. Perhaps the most interesting myth about the Akragas bull is that the first victim was the person who had made it, because his evil genius horrified Phalaris so much. And the last victim, it is said, was the tyrant himself.

Room III: Superb collection of vases, including a group of outstanding Attic vases from the mid-6th to the early 3rd centuries bc. Black- and red-figure

kraters from the 4th–3rd centuries bc include a lekythos with Nike sacrific-ing (460–450 bc), and kraters depicting Dionysiac scenes (c. 440 bc); a stam-

Reconstructed telamon from the Temple of Zeus. The reconstruction is conjectural. The discovery of a leg of one of the statues attached to a block of stone, for example, has shown that the feet must have been further apart than is indicated here.

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caltanissetta

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catania