Zisa, Palermo

La Zisa, also Zisa Castle or just briefly mentioned only Zisa is a castle in the west of Palermo, which was used by the Norman kings of Sicily as a summer residence. It is located in the former " Parco Nuovo ", the Occupying the western part of the city part of the royal parks. In addition to La Cuba, another castle in this former park, La Zisa is one of the best preserved Norman castles in Sicily. Inside the castle, the Museum of Islamic Art is housed.

History

La Zisa was begun under William I in 1165 and completed in 1167 under his son, Wilhelm II. Clearly visible are Norman and Arab influences. This is due to the fact that the majority of the participating artisans and construction workers were Arabs who still made ​​up a large proportion of the population of Sicily at that time. Also the name of the castle has its origins in Arabic he derives Aziz al - ʿ ( powerful, strong ) from. The castle was in royal park, and from its main façade, oriented approximately east towards the city, a large pool was.

In the 14th century, the Zisa was expanded into a fortress. Later it came into private ownership. During a plague epidemic in 1624, the Zisa was used as a warehouse for items that were apparently in contact with Pest exciters. What were these objects can no longer find. 1635, the palace was acquired by the noble family de Sandoval and rebuilt in a Baroque palace.

In 1951 the Zisa in state ownership. Already in the 50s the Baroque alterations were reversed. After a partial collapse of ceilings and wall coverings in October 1971 began in 1972 extensive restoration work.

After completion of the restoration the Zisa was opened to the public again. Today it is home to Palermo Museum of Islamic Art.

The exterior

La Zisa is a cube-shaped building with three floors and a height of 25.70 m. Jump into the middle of the two narrow sides before projections, which provided as ventilation ducts for air conditioning of interiors. These projections carry small turrets that tower over the building top.

The main façade lead three ogival entrances into the building. The mean is greater and magnificent designed as the side and extends up to the first floor. Its pointed arches resting on both sides on one pair each column.

The facade is divided only by shallow blind arches. A narrow, straight ledge extending between the first and second floors around the entire building, thus emphasizing the horizontal orientation.

Originally formed a frieze with an Arabic inscription, as he is still seen today in Cuba, a straight upper end of the building. During construction in the Middle Ages this frieze was replaced by the still existing battlements.

The Baroque roof structures that have been added in transforming the Zisa by the family de Sandoval, can be seen from the edge of the building is reset and, therefore, only from afar.

The interior

The pointed arch crossings of the main facade lead into a vestibule that extends as a long corridor along the main facade across the whole building and also to the side facades towards having an arcuate passage. From this vestibule from the other rooms of the ground floor and the stairs, through the leads to the upper floors, accessible.

Directly opposite the middle Gothic arch leads from a passage with a large, resting on twin columns arch of the vestibule in the large two-story audience hall in the center of the building. This hall has opposite the entrance and on each side a niche that is closed at the top by muqarnas. Of the mosaics that adorned the walls, only a part is received. In the niche opposite the entrance is a paradise fountain from which the water flowed over a slant plate in an inset into the floor channel, which flowed through the middle of the room and extended to several small pools. Outside, led the channel in the central axis of the building to a pool of water in front of the castle.

The other rooms on the ground floor and the first floor are located on both sides of this hall. On the first floor the two sides of a narrow path at the rear of the building are interconnected. On the second floor is located in the middle, ie above the audience hall, also a large hall. Since the floor of which is inclined towards the center, it is assumed that it has acted as an atrium with Impluvium, which was probably covered by the family de Sandoval until the renovation in the 17th century.

Park

Front of the castle is still in the water basin, the water flowed from the fountain of paradise. In the middle do not yet see the base of the pavilion, which originally stood in the pelvis and was accessible via a footbridge.

In the extension of the water channel leading into this pool, 2005, a park with green areas and a water canal was built, which flows over cascades and rectangular basin through the park.

North of the palace in 1972 the remains of a Roman aqueduct and a thermal facility were discovered. To the north of the Zisa is the Cappella della Santissima Trinità alla Zisa.