What you'll hear inside Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammirato (La Martorana):

• 1
  Mosaic of the Coronation of Roger II

  This striking mosaic depicts King Roger II receiving the crown of Sicily directly from Christ's hands—an extraordinarily powerful image of divine right and royal authority.

• 2
  Mosaic of Saint George of Antioch at the Feet of the Virgin

  This striking mosaic at La Martorana in Palermo depicts Admiral George of Antioch kneeling before the Virgin Mary.

• 3
  Christ Pantocrator (dome)

  The Cristo Pantocrátor adorning La Martorana's central dome is the crowning jewel of its magnificent mosaic programme.

• 4
  Norman Bell Tower

  This 12th-century Norman bell tower stands as the principal entrance to the church, its square-plan structure rising with a distinctive stepped arrangement of three tiers of large twin windows.

• 5
  Baroque Presbytery with Lapis Lazuli Tabernacle

  La Martorana's baroque presbytery is a square chamber from 1685, lined with polychrome marble and crowned by a striking lapis lazuli and gilt-brass tabernacle above the altar—one of the most…

• 6
  Choir of the Nuns (Undercroft with Frescoes by Borremans and Sozzi)

  The nuns' choir sits high above the church entrance, with visitors passing beneath it through the undercroft—or sotocoro.

• 7
  Columns with Islamic Kufic Inscriptions

  The Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio in Palermo features Islamic Kufic inscriptions as part of its distinctive Norman-Arab architecture.

• 8
  Beams with Arabic Inscription at the Base of the Dome

  The church's dome base is supported by a series of fir-wood beams, each bearing an inscribed Arabic text painted along their length.