ABSTRACT
The mausoleum holding the remains of Prince Bohemund (d. 1111) next to the cathedral at Canosa is the only surviving example of a Norman ruler tomb in Italy built as a separate structure. Much has been written about its architecture and supposed sources, but few scholars have commented on its location in relationship to the cathedral. An examination of the other Norman ruler tombs in Italy at Venosa, Mileto, Cefalù, Palermo, Monreale and elsewhere with particular emphasis on their architectural setting demonstrates a pattern in the location of these tombs: tombs of the male rulers are invariably placed on the south side of their respective churches. As regards the mausoleum at Canosa, its architectural design and placement near the east end of the church are based on late antique prototypes, including monuments Bohemund may have seen in his journeys during the First Crusade. The original setting of the actual burial of Bohemund, presumably in a now lost sarcophagus, probably echoed the arrangement seen in the ruler tombs of his parents in Venosa.
