On the west side, between the refectory and the fountain, the nineteenth capital depicts the scene of the dedication of the Cathedral. This moment is also visible inside the Cathedral, in the magnificent mosaic cycle that adorns the entire building. The capital shows King William II, assisted by two...

The central courtyard of the cloister is canonically defined as a garden, in which no flower essences are planted because they are deciduous; instead, the flowers are sculpted in the capitals, in the eternal nature of the stone. The garden, according to tradition, is divided into four parts where fo...

The nave is the main body of the religious building, intended for the assembly of the faithful. In the case of small churches, the nave is defined as a single room; for buildings of greater size and importance, the space is divided into several parts with a central nave or aisle and two or more side...

The plinth, or base, is one of the elements of a column’s pedestal. Since it rests directly on the ground, the dado and the cymatium are placed on top. The 18 columns of the nave of the Monreale Cathedral rest on 134cm square plinths. The plinth, in this case, is of particular importance because i...

Squared ashlar masonry work is composed of regularly shaped stones. While in the past, large stone blocks were used, over time softer and smaller stone blocks were used, usually in the shape of a parallelepiped so that the length of the block was greater than the width. Squared ashlars are character...

In the Monreale Cathedral flooring, there were anthropomorphic and phyto-zoomorphic elements made of figured marble inlays. These decorations, of Byzantine origin, were part of the original and oldest portion of the flooring, and it is likely that they were present in the presbytery, completed under...

Latin tradition in the Monreale Cathedral is very prominent: the Norman state, in fact, belonged to the Latin West. All this is reflected in the adherence to typical western schemes such as the longitudinal and Latin cross plan, as well as the entire layout of the church, in the form of a basilica w...

On November 11, 1811 a terrible fire broke out and destroyed part of the Cathedral. The roof that covered the sanctuary area collapsed entirely. However, the ceiling of the three naves was saved and was also subject to reconstruction. The fire devastated not only part of the ceiling, but also the or...

Islamic motifs and components can be found in the angular columns at the sides of the apses, the latter already adopted in the Palatine Chapel, and mainly in the ogival line of the arches present in the colonnades, in the windows and in the blind arches. Correlations have also been noted between the...

In the mosaic cycle of the Monreale Cathedral, the representation of the sovereign, who commissioned the complex, occurs twice: above the wall of the royal throne and on the wall of the archiepiscopal throne. In the second mosaic, the King of Sicily is shown kneeling and offering the Cathedral to th...