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The suburban garden palaces of the Norman rulers in Palermo
International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo/Michigan
During the course organised early last autumn by the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz (KHI) on “Sicily in the time of the Normans (Palermo – Monreale – Cefalù)” Christine Ungruh lectured for the first time on the suburban garden palaces of the Norman rulers in Palermo. She presented the findings – now expanded thanks to further research – to a broad expert audience at the 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies, which was to be held 4 - 7 May 2006 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The annual mediaeval studies congresses have been organised by the Western Michigan University since 1970. They are the biggest in the world in this discipline and enjoy considerable international prestige. Researchers from different specialisations (art history, history, literature, gender studies, etc) meet in 640 modules; in addition to adding to expert knowledge, the meeting provides a good opportunity to make contact with international institutions and colleagues. The high number of participants means that registration fees and travel costs cannot be covered by the organisers. The Friends of the KHI therefore generously provided EUR 1,500 to support Christine Ungruh’s lecture tour.

Details are available at:
http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/index

“Suburban Palaces in Sicily. Models of Mediterranean Integration in the 12th Century”

Christine Ungruh’s paper “Suburban Palaces in Sicily. Models of Mediterranean Integration in the 12th Century” considers the garden palaces of the Norman rulers in the area of Palermo, which were established by Roger II and his successors between 1130 and 1180. These prestigious residences set in extensive gardens are considered to have been places of refuge for the young monarchy and their architecture and décor perceived solely as examples of Islamic influence on European architecture in the Middle Ages. This paper reconsiders that view. Using the Zisa as an example the author argues that the suburban palaces are well-appointed spring catchments; their position is strategic and their architecture determined by their function. Most of the decorative elements considered Islamic can be found in mediaeval European and Byzantine architecture, and some can be traced back to classical antiquity. Some of the modern decorative forms in 12th century Islamic architecture are however specific to the Norman palaces. Their simultaneous use in residential buildings throughout the Mediterranean world, as discovered in archaeological finds and from contemporary descriptions, indicates the existence of a shared language of architectural form in the seaboard cultures. Thus the Normans used this architectural koiné when building their suburban palaces so they could hold their own against the most important courts of the “fluid continent”.

Christine Ungruh, MA

Christine Ungruh began her studies in European Civilisation and French Area Studies at Franklin College Switzerland (Bachelor of Arts, USA 1990). Subsequently she enrolled at the Georg August University in Göttingen to study art history, English and Italian philology (Magistra Artium in 2000). She has been working since 2002 on her dissertation about the floor mosaic of the Cathedral of Otranto (Apulia) under the supervision of Professor Christian Freigang (Johann Wolfang Goethe University Frankfurt) and Professor Achim Arbeiter (Georg August University Göttingen). From April to December 2003 she benefited from a grant to work at the graduate college “Kloster und Welt im Mittelalter” (Monasteries and World in the Middle Ages) at the Institut zur interdisziplinären Erforschung des Mittelalters and seines Nachwirkens (Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on the Middle Ages and Their Influence) (IEMAN) based in Paderborn. Since 2004 she has worked as a research assistant at the KHI in the photographic library.
 
 
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