Cathedral of Monreale

The Cathedral of Monreale stands in the hill town of Monreale, about 8 kilometres above Palermo, overlooking the fertile Conca d'Oro valley. It was founded by the Norman king William II around 1174 and largely completed within a remarkably short span of about a decade, an undertaking bound up with the king's rivalry with the powerful archbishop of Palermo. The cathedral is the supreme achievement of Arab-Norman art, combining a Latin basilica plan with Byzantine mosaic decoration and Islamic structural and ornamental detail. Its interior is sheathed in roughly 6,000 square metres of golden mosaics depicting the whole sweep of biblical history, from the Creation and the Old Testament narratives along the nave to scenes from the life of Christ in the transepts and aisles. The composition is crowned by a colossal half-length figure of Christ Pantocrator filling the central apse, his outstretched arms spanning the curve of the vault in one of the most imposing images in Christian art. The mosaics, executed by Byzantine and local craftsmen in the late 12th century, form a continuous illustrated Bible and rank among the most complete medieval mosaic cycles to survive. Adjoining the church is the celebrated Benedictine cloister, a square garden enclosed by 228 twin columns, each pair carved with distinct capitals depicting biblical scenes, foliage, beasts and historical episodes, with several shafts decorated in inlaid mosaic and a corner fountain of Arab inspiration. The cathedral also houses the royal tombs of William I and William II. Centuries of careful maintenance and modern restoration have preserved the brilliance of the mosaics, and the cathedral remains an active place of worship as well as one of Sicily's most visited monuments, easily reached as a half-day excursion from Palermo.