Monreale Cathedral - Table of Contents
Monreale Cathedral
Piazza
Vittorio Emanuele, Monreale, Sicily
A suburb of Palermo
| Built: |
1174-78 |
| Style: |
Norman
Romanesque |
| Modsaics
style: |
Byzantine |
| Plan:
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Basilican
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| Distinction: |
UNESCO
World
Heritage Site Widely regarded as the finest example of Norman architecture in Sicily. |
| The story of how this splendid
cathedral came into being starts when the Arabs took
control of Palermo
in 831. They transformed the cathedral into a mosque and
banished the
Bishop of Palermo from town. Not wishing to venture too
far from his
beloved cathedral, the Bishop settled in a small village
in the hills
overlooking Palermo, the site of modern-day Monreale.
There, he built a
modest church to keep the flame of local Christian
worship alive. Some 240 year later, in 1072, the Normans drove the Arabs from Sicily, establishing Palermo as their capital and re-consecrating the cathedral. In 1174, in an act of piety, thanksgiving and commemoration of the exiled Bishop, King William II ordered the construction of a new church in Monreale, dedicated to the Virgin Mary (On its completion in 1182, Pope Lucius III elevated the splendid church to the status of metropolitan cathedral. - The stunning Norman cathedral of Monreale, Sicily, Italy (online May 2020) |
a
  Norman design behind the Baroque balustrade Neoclassical portico was added in the 18th century. ... Balustrade Norman arcade window features voussoirs
 Arcade  Composite column |
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Norman design behind the Baroque balustrade |
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Corinthian column |
