By Brian Wilson
UK Correspondent
Special to Cruising Squared
If your cruise ship calls into Palermo (the capital of Sicily) you may think of visiting the town – but to our mind there is only one thing to do – visit Monreale.
Look up into the hill side that surrounds Palermo for a small town set in a panoramic position on the slope of Monte Caputo overlooking the fertile valley of La Conca D’Ora that is famed for its citrus fruit trees – that’s Monreale.
Just take a taxi, or a local bus (if you are feeling “brave”), to this beautiful town that boasts one the gems of Sicily – the Cathedral or Duomo. The town is set on a promontory with a defensive setting and is a microcosm of Sicilian history.
As you journey up to Monreale think of the Bishop of Palermo who, in 831, had been “banished” when the Arabs took control of Palermo. Not wanting to leave Palermo, the bishop and his community found refuge in Monreale’s defensible position – and it overlooked their old home.
In 1072 the Normans (yes the same people who had conquered England in 1066) drove the Arabs from Sicily and set about re-establishing Palermo as their capital – but they did not forget Monreale.
In 1172 the Norman King William II ordered that a new church would be built – and it was completed in 1182 (not bad when you consider how long it took to complete many other cathedrals in Europe)
Now here is a very interesting point and it shows just how cosmopolitan Sicilian communities had become. William II employed the very best Arabic, Byzantine and Norman craftsmen to work on the cathedral, plus a monastery and Archbishop’s palace.
Such an enlightened ruler, one who appreciated many aspects of European, Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern and North African cultures and art, was a rarity at the time (some would say that even today such an approach would be wondered at!!)
The result is a fabulous and fascinating fusion of architectural, artistic traditions and religious symbolism.
You may think that the cathedral’s twin-towered façade is nothing out of the ordinary – but wait just go inside and prepare yourself for an overload of splendors
The Cathedral is a fantastic mixture of Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholic rites.
The Nave reminds us of an Italian basilica - whilst the impressive large triple apses in the choir (all with some of the world’s most beautiful mosaics) links back to Greek orthodox and Middle Eastern architecture.
As you stand in the Nave look down at your feet and marvel at the geometrically patterned marble floor, in-laid with Middle-Eastern mosaics.
Now turn your eye to the granite Corinthian columns that hold up the Nave and the side aisles.
Like us, we are sure you’ll be astounded by one of the most astonishing examples of art you’ll have seen – the mosaics of Monreale.
Circa 68,000 square feet of golden mosaics animate biblical scenes and depictions of saints, kings and angels, all interspersed with gilded motifs and sumptuous decorative patterns.
The mosaics cover the whole cathedral and are stupendous.
Wave after wave of this dazzling beauty culminates at the east end in the triple-apsed choir, surveyed from on high by a colossal representation of Christ Pantocrator, where the beauty is the result of the finest of mosaics (just 6 tesserae per cm2).
If you wonder how these mosaics are still so bright and colourful - the answer is “glass and angles”. The mosaics include glass and the tessarae are set at an angle, so that, people on the ground would see light being reflected from different angles.
If anyone claims that today’s artists are superior to those in past years – just go to Montreale and marvel at the mosaics
But that is not all – there is so much more to see in this most wonderful of churches including the tombs of the Norman Sicilian Kings Williams I and II, their wives and sons.
Not forgetting the magnificent bronze doors with their mosaic-decorated portal executed by Barisano da Trani in 1179.
You’ll need a whole day at Monreale for outside the Cathedral, adjoining its south side, is another artistic and architectonic masterpiece: the cloisters. Built in 1200 as part of the Cathedral abbey, the cloisters comprise 108 pairs of marble columns, a covered arcade of Arabic arches and a central quad.
Every other pair of columns is decorated with unique mosaic patterns (no two are the same) and each is topped by a floral capital. The overall effect is one of not quite perfect symmetry, but absolute perfection!
As with the cathedral the building of the monastery involved both Christian, Jewish and Islamic artists and stonemasons.
You can see the Islamic influence in the fountain used by the monks to drink – but the style is that of fountains found in Mosques across the region.
There is so much to see in Monreale and you’ll need to replenish your energy. There are lots of restaurants, many with panoramic views across to Palermo – be careful not to miss your cruise ship as she departs for her next port of call!!
Enjoy your visit!
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