Monreale Cathedral, also known as Santa Maria Nuova - one of the most impressive churches in Sicily and one of the main tourist attractions of the island. Dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin, it is located in a suburb of Palermo - Montreal, a town with a population of 32 thousand people.

The construction of the cathedral and standing next to the Benedictine monastery on Monte Caputo began in 1174 by order of King William II the Good. According to legend, a place to build a new church Wilhelm pointed herself Mother of God, which was the dream, and it announced that it was there that my father the king, William I Evil, hidden untold riches. In addition, there loved to hunt Arab emirs and replaced them Normans.

Already in 1176 the monastery came the first pilgrims, and seven years later the building of the cathedral was completed. Then, from 1183 on 1189 years, its walls covered with mosaics - a total area of ​​130 mosaic is about 10 thousand square meters! This is one of the largest in the world mosaic cycles. In 1183, it held its first burial - was buried in the Cathedral of Marguerite of Navarre, mother of Wilhelm II, then here nashil eternal rest William I, Roger Apulian Henry Kapuansky himself Wilhelm II. Already in the late 12th century cathedral, the Cathedral received the status, acquired its present appearance: its western facade and the apse were decorated with false arches, and the south tower is topped with a spire. In 1267 the consecration of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Significant changes in the structure of the cathedral were held in 15-17 centuries: in the 15th century sacristy was added in the 16th century, the floor of the cathedral laid taorminskim white marble, and was attached to the north wall of the side portico. Then there was built a chapel of St. Kastrentsiya, which now holds his power. A century later, the Chapel of the Crucifixion was built in the Baroque style. In 1770, the sculptor Ignazio Marabitti built on the site of a collapsed 12-century-old portico of the new, more elegant, but discord with the Norman style of the building.

In the 19th century two disasters happened partly change the face of the cathedral. In 1807, in the south tower was struck by lightning, causing the collapsed spire, which subsequently has not been restored. And in 1811 there was a terrible fire that destroyed the ceiling of the work of Arab artists and damage the mosaic and the royal tombs. On the restoration of the interior decoration it took several decades.

Today the Cathedral of Monreale is an important monument of Norman architecture, which is visited annually by millions of tourists. Its interior features mixed Romanesque architecture, applied Arabic and Greek religious art. But the main attraction of the cathedral is the above-mentioned 130 mosaics, written on religious subjects. Interesting fact: the authors' names have not been preserved mosaics, they can be either masters from Constantinople and local. Montreal residents affectionately call this majestic church "La matrix" - Mother, emphasizing its particular importance in the history of the city.