Monreale Cathedral

A magnificent cathedral, in northwestern Sicily, Italy, constructed between 1174-1189 by William II, the third Norman king of Sicily. Little now remains of the monastic buildings except the splendid cloister (with 216 marble columns) adjacent to the cathedral. The cathedral is one of the richest and most beautiful churches in Italy, combining Norman, Byzantine, Italian, and Saracen styles. Particularly notable is the interior mosaic decoration, one of the largest in existence. The subjects of the mosaics include an Old Testament cycle, the miracles of Christ, the life of Christ, and the lives of the saints Peter and Paul. It was created by a group of craftsmen trained in Byzantium.

This magnificent cathedral, 8 km from Palermo, Sicily, was constructed between 1173 and 1186 by William II, the third Norman king of Sicily, and is a splendid reflection both of Norman achievement and the unique nature of Sicilian Romanesque with its combination of Norman, Arab and Greek influences. The massive exterior of the building is plain yet imposing. Twin towers flank the west porch and around the triple apse there is Islamic-style blind arcading in black and white stone. The western and northern porches have finely decorated late 12th-century bronze doors. The interior is covered in sumptuously coloured mosaics set into a background of gold, equal to any in the Byzantine world and dominated by the large portrait in the central apse of Christ surrounded by saints and apostles (including the recently martyred Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas a Becket). Old and New Testament stories line the area above the nave arcades. On the southern side of the cathedral is a cloister belonging to the 12th-century monastery; renowned for its beauty and delicacy, each of the four corridors is supported on slender paired columns resting on a low wall, and the marble columns are inlaid with bands of coloured mosaic.