The dominant style of the flooring of Monreale, together with the Islamic style and the Roman-Cosmatesque component, is Byzantine-Cassinian. In fact, the ongoing work carried out between 1170 and 1180 was influenced by both the Salerno Cathedral and the nearby churches of Palermo. The purely Benedictine influence is linked to the Church of Montecassino, commissioned by Abbot Desiderius and consecrated in 1071. The Byzantine-Cassinese style can still be seen in the flooring of the St. Louis bay. The flooring of the bay, in fact, considered to be one of the oldest in the Cathedral, departs from the Islamic panels and retains notable Byzantine elements.
