The Zisa (, ) is a grand 12th-century Norman hunting lodge and summer palace in the western area of

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, in the region of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The edifice was started around 1165 by Arab craftsmen under the rule of the Norman conqueror of Sicily, king

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

. It was not finished until 1189, under the rule of William II. It is presently open to the public for tours. The name ''Zisa'' derives from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

term ''al-ʿAzīza'' (), meaning 'the Dear one' or 'the Splendid one'. The same word, in Naskh script, is impressed in the entrance, according to the usual habit for the main Islamic edifices of the time. The structure was conceived as a summer residence for the Norman kings, as a part of the large hunting resort known as ''Genoardo'' () that included also the Cuba Sottana, the Cuba Soprana and the Uscibene palace, and extensive gardens, of which no traces remain. Joan of England, widow of William II, was confined to the palace by the new king

Tancred of Sicily Tancred or Tankred is a masculine given name of Germanic origin that comes from ''thank-'' (thought) and ''-rath'' (counsel), meaning "well-thought advice". It was used in the High Middle Ages mainly by the Normans (see French Tancrède) and espe ...

due to her backing Princess Constance aunt of William II to ascend the throne. At the end of the 15th century the building fell into disrepair while in private hands. In 1635, a new owner, Giovanni de Sandoval, cousin to the

Viceroy of Sicily A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

, acquired the palace for free due to its poor state. The palace remained in the hands of the

Sandoval Sandoval is a habitational surname of Spanish language, Spanish origin. It primarily originates from Sandoval de la Reina, Spain, earlier called ''Sannoval'', which is a blend word of Latin ''saltus'' (meaning 'grove' or 'wood') and Latin ''novalis ...

family until 1808, when it eventually fell again to ruin. From 1808 to the 1950s the building was used a residence by the princes

Notarbartolo Notarbartolo is one of the main aristocratic families of the Sicilian nobility. Originated in the Middle Ages, it gave to the island numerous personalities who have made a significant contribution to its social, political, intellectual and artist ...

di Sciara. In the 1990s, the building was picked up for restoration by the Region of Sicily. In July 2015 it was included in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale World Heritage Site.

Architectural style

The structure includes Islamic elements such as

muqarnas Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of I ...

, and vaulted niches. In the 14th century

merlon A merlon is the solid, upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications. Merlons are sometimes pierced by narrow, vertical embrasures, or tooth-like slits designed for observation and fire. The sp ...

s were added, by partly destroying the Arab inscription (in

Kufic The Kufic script () is a style of Arabic script, that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts ...

characters) which embellished the upper part of the building. More substantial modifications were introduced in the 17th century, when the Zisa, reduced to very poor conditions, was purchased by Giovanni di Sandoval e Platamone, Marquis of S. Giovanni la Mendola, Prince of Castelreale, Lord of the Mezzagrana and the Zisa. The latter's marble coat of arms with two lions can be seen over the entrance fornix. Several rooms of the interior were modified and others added on the ceiling, a great stair was built, as well as new external windows.

Use

As the Zisa was originally built as a semi-rural summer home, many of the styling choices reflect this. A pool at the front of the building flowed through open channels into the interior to the main hall. The architect chose to use thicker material for building and smaller windows to keep a stable internal temperature. The castle had a fully functional air conditioning system that allowed airflow throughout the whole of the building that was heavily inspired by Egyptian and

Mesopotamian Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary o ...

architectural styles and the architect also made the conscious choice to build the building facing towards the ocean.

Gallery

File:Sommer, Giorgio (1834-1914) - La Ziza, Palermo.jpg, Zisa c. 1880, ph. Giorgio Sommer File:Palermo-Zisa-bjs-3.jpg, Niche with fountain in the main hall File:0693 - PA - La Zisa - Portico - Foto G. Dall'Orto.jpg, Vestibule File:0700 - PA - La Zisa - intrerno con musciarabia - Foto G. Dall'Orto.jpg, The hall on the second floor File:La Zisa (Palermo)-msu-1128.jpg, Niche with muqarnas File:Castello Zisa.jpg, Garden and fountain File:Crupi, Giovanni (1849-1925) - n. 0363 - Palermo - Interno Zisa - Cm 23x17 - Delcampe.jpg, Interior before 1899, ph. Giovanni Crupi File:Palermo Castello della Zisa (xilografia di Barberis 1892).jpg, Zisa by Giuseppe Barberis, 1892

References

Bibliography

{{commonscat, La Zisa (Palermo) * Giuseppe Bellafiore: ''La Zisa di Palermo'', Flaccovio, Palermo, 1994. * Donald Matthew: ''The Norman Kingdom of Sicily'', Cambridge University Press, 1992. * John Julius Norwich: ''The Normans in Sicily: The Normans in the South 1016-1130 and the Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194'', Penguin, 1992. * Seindal, René. 2003. "Zisa: Early Medieval Hunting Castle in the Arab Norman Style". http://sights.seindal.dk/ sight/76_Zisa.html. * “La Zisa - Palermo, Italy.” ''Atlas Obscura'', Atlas Obscura, 29 Nov. 2013, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/la-zisa. * "La Zisa". 1997. Storia dei Monumenti Siciliani Website. http://www.grifasi-sicilia.com/monumpalermo1.htm * "Palazzo della Ziza". Le Normands: Peuple d'Europe Website. http://www.mondes-normands.caen.fr/angleterre/ Patrimoine_architectural/Italie/sicile/palazzi/1154_1189/38/index.htm. Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century Castles in Palermo Palaces in Palermo Arab-Norman architecture in Palermo Royal residences in the Kingdom of Sicily Romanesque palaces in Italy Norman architecture in Italy Islamic architecture in Europe Museums in Palermo Historic house museums in Italy World Heritage Sites in Italy Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale

Architectural style

Use

Gallery

See also

References

Bibliography