The Cathedral of Monreale has an imposing façade with a three-mullioned portico and two large fortified towers, one of which, the one on the right, has been transformed into a bell tower. In addition to the towers, the facade also houses bronze doors of high value, one of which dates back to 1185, the work of Bonanno Pisano.
The portico that opens on the left side was realized between 1547 and 1569 by Giovanni Domenico Gagini and Fazio Gagini. The exterior of the cathedral, over the years, has undergone several changes, although the Norman imprint remains intact. Always in the external part it is possible to admire the drawings formed with the use of white and black stones and of the apses that with their colors and their shapes recall the Arabic world. The interior is accessed through the side portico and there are three naves of 90 meters. The ceiling is square, without dome and at the end of the building there are three apses.
The naves are divided by columns with capitals representing divinities, which support arches of Arab type. The floor is made of porphyry and granite. The walls of the apses are covered with gold mosaics of the twelfth century, representing the stories of the new and old testament.
Also inside the monumental church, you can admire two chapels, the Crucifix and St. Benedict, which are an excellent example of Sicilian Baroque.
The high altar is a work of Luigi Valadier, silversmith, of the 18th century and the organ, with six keyboards is of the 20th century, a work of the Ruffati Brothers of Padua. Besides this, the inside of the Church hides other numerous treasures all to be discovered and admired.
Next to the Cathedral there is an ancient cloister from the 12th century.
It is a Romanesque style construction with a square plan. The portico is formed by ogival arches supported by twin columns whose capitals present biblical stories. In the southern part of the cloister there is a garden, with a fountain in the middle, which is delimited by an enclosure formed by three arches on each side.
The water of the fountain comes out of human and lion mouths.
The Cathedral of Monreale as well as for its beauty is also talked about for the legends that surround it and the most exciting tells of William II who, ascended the throne after his father, had fallen asleep under a carob tree while hunting in the woods of Monreale.
During the sleep appeared the Madonna who revealed that in the place where he was hidden a treasure and once he had found it had to build a temple in his honor.
The treasure was found and the Cathedral was built.
