The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database

An Image Archive of Monuments and Sites in Southern Italy, c. 1100 - c. 1450



Chancel of the church of Santa Chiara under renovation after Allied bombardment of Naples in Summer 1943, photograph, mid-20th century, unknown photographer, KOS Image Entry #45056.




The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database was created to collect, organize, and display historical representations of medieval monuments and cities in southern Italy for the purposes of study and research. The database brings together drawings, prints, maps, ground plans and elevations, manuscript illuminations, paintings, early photographs, and other images made before c. 1950 to document architectural sites in the medieval Kingdom of Sicily (c. 1100-1450) and to trace their change over time. The database is accessible through a public website at https://koseodiah.org.

Founded in 2011 at Duke University by Caroline Bruzelius, The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database Project is now housed at the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, in collaboration with the Dipartimento di Architettura, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II” and the Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities “La Capraia” at the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte. The project is co-led by Sarah K. Kozlowski and Paola Vitolo, and involves scholars and students in the United States and Italy.

We invite you to learn more about the project, its history, and the project team.

Follow us on Instagram @medieval.kosid.





Sarah Kozlowski, Associate Director and Head of Scholarly Research & Programs, The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, The University of Texas at Dallas