Tra Sicilia e Terra Santa: le pitture murali della Cappella del Castello di Paternò

This article examines a small fresco cycle disco¬vered in the castle of Paternò (Catania, Sicily) during a restauration campaign carried out in the early 1990s (Migneco Malaguarnera 1995). Although its state of conservation is very poor and the dating is uncertain (late 12th c. to 15th c.), this cycle can be considered the most relevant example of late medieval wall painting found in Sicily over the past few decades. The decorative program of the chapel – which was probably dedicated to St. John the Baptist – includes the Ascension in the apse, the Pan¬tokrator and busts of adoring angels on the ap¬se’s frame, the Agnus Dei and the symbols of the Evangelists on the triumphant arch. The east wall has also preserved the Annunciation (split into two separate figures) in the top re¬gister and, in the low register, two wall icons with St. John the Baptist (right) and St. Nicho¬las (left). Despite the limited size of the chapel (m. 6.00 x 3.95), the cycle includes a series of six large panels representing a quintessential crusa¬de subject, that is, the series of equestrian saints (George, Demetrius, Mercurius, Nestor, The¬odore, Hippolytus). The barrel vault, original¬ly painted with a blue background, is covered with gilded wooden stars carved in relief, while the north and south lunettes contain heraldic patterns with a single coat of arms repeated more than sixty times. Stylistically, the master and his collaborators adopted the typical cross-cultural visual langua¬ge that was widespread across the Mediterranean basin in the age of the Crusades and that com¬bined Byzantine, Islamic, and western elements. Given the solid relationship between Sicily and the Crusader states, it is possible that these artists could reach Paternò thanks to the mediation of the Hospitallers. This military order, in fact, had a domus in the city and, just like the Templars, reinforced their presence on the island after the fall of Jerusalem in 1187. The involvement of the Hospitallers in the decoration of the chapel can be demonstrated not only by the relevance of the images of St. John the Baptist and the Agnus Dei, but also by the occurrence of a new subject: St. Hippolytus on horseback. The Paternò cycle reveals another interesting detail, which was discovered during the resto¬ration campaign: this is the presence of raised gilded halos, modelled with the pastiglia tech¬nique and, in some cases, decorated with cabo¬chons. The pastiglia is attested in some icons executed in Cyprus from the late 12th century onward and, during the 13th century, it spread across the Mediterranean basin. In the Paternò cycle, the pastiglia was applied on wall painting, thus revealing an interesting phenomenon of technical and aesthetic exchange between two different artistic areas. As for the dating, the identification of the coat of arms on the lunettes (Guida 2013) has recently provided some new important information. The coat of arms probably belonged to Giovanni Ca¬racciolo Rossi, who is remembered as viceroy in Sicily in 1228, under the reign of Frederick II. In those years, the emperor resided in Paternò at least two times between 1221 and 1223 and might have decided to commission a refurbish¬ment of the Norman castle; perhaps, the archi¬tectural renovation and the construction of the chapel were completed by Caracciolo just be¬fore Frederick left for the Sixth Crusade (June 1228). The images of the six equestrian saints, therefore, could be interpreted as an auspice and a prayer to ensure heavenly protection to Frederick’s military mission in the Holy Land.