# Duomo di Monreale

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Content updated: 2026-06-22

Duomo di Monreale rises in Monreale, Sicily, as a Norman cathedral shaped by Arab and Byzantine influences. Its fortified exterior has two towers, while the apses combine white and black stone arches with limestone and lava-stone patterns.

King William II began construction in 1174, bringing local workers together with artists from Venice and Constantinople. Inside, a Latin-cross plan carries Byzantine mosaics across about 6,300 square metres, with roughly 140 biblical scenes leading from the Old Testament to the New. The central apse holds a monumental Christ Pantocrator, blessing with one hand and holding an open Bible with the other. A Baroque altar from 1711, painted wooden beams, Arabic-style stalactite ceilings rebuilt in 1811, and a cloister add further layers to the complex.

At the main entrance, Bonanno Pisano’s bronze portal from 1186 presents biblical scenes in 42 square panels. A second bronze door by Barisano da Trani contains 28 panels showing saints and evangelists, including the artist’s self-portrait.

- City: [Monreale](https://mytuur.com/en/city/monreale/)

## Photos

- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_DuomodiMonreale_68c27696e7953b1337dda6fa_0.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1172_bis_1176_wurde_die_Kathedrale_von_Monreale_erbaut._07.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_DuomodiMonreale_68c27696e7953b1337dda6fa_1.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:"Die_Kathedrale_zeigt_in_besonders_eindrucksvoller_Weise_den_normannisch-arabisch-byzantinischen_Baustil"_02.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_DuomodiMonreale_68c27696e7953b1337dda6fa_2.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MonrealeCathedral-pjt1.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_DuomodiMonreale_68c27696e7953b1337dda6fa_3.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Monreale_Kreuzgang_neu.jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_DuomodiMonreale_68c27696e7953b1337dda6fa_4.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:6340_Quadratmeter_bedecken_die_Mosaiken_in_der_Kathedrale_Santa_Maria_Nuova_in_Monreale._09.jpg)

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