ERASMUS+ Sezione Cultura

It was inagurated on April the 13th 2011 by the Archbishop Salvatore Di Cristina . It was opened by the Superintendency of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Palermo with regional funds.It is on three floors inside  the Archiepiscopal building  , the museum hosts  relevant masterpieces of sacred art ,ornaments and manufactures of the archbishops

Cloister of the Cathedral of Monreale (Il chiostro)

The Cloister dating  from the time of The norman king William the second,King of Sicily. It belongs  to a Christian area  but it resembles  an atmosphere of Muslim courtyards with porticoes. The cloister is surrounded by a series of ogival arcades resting on fine twin columns.  Every other pair of columns is decorated with  multi-coloured  mosaics of Eastern inspiration and : No two are the same!  They depict episodes from the Bible ,themes related to religious iconography ,allegorical or simply decorative figures. In the southwest corner there is a small cloister inside the larger one, accommodating a delightful  fountain.

This very unique museum it has a great importance not only for the city of Monreale but also for Sicily.

This museum ,as a matter of fact,hosts the works made by the art students of the Liceo artistico in Monreale, a school of a long and  ancient mosaic tradition. 

Located inside the former Benedictine monastery,this Gallery houses paintings on canvas,works on paper sculptures and ceramics by contemporary authors. Recently this  collection has been enriched by the donation and the Nocera foundation, with contemporary artists’works., and also by The Adoration of the Spepherds by Matia Stormer.

Cathedral

The stunning Norman cathedral of Monreale

In 1174 ,in an act of thanksgiving,the Norman king William the second ordered the construction of a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary ,since he employed the very best Arabic,Byzantine and Norman craftsmen to work on it , the result is the fabulous and fascinating fusion of architectural styles and the inside amazing golden mosaics animated by biblical scenes ,depicted Saints ,kings and Angels .In 2015  it was granted status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site  along with Arab – Norman  Palermo and the cathedral of Cefalù.