The guidebook said the Duomo di Monreale COULD NOT be missed. So, on our last day in Palermo, we decided not to miss it. On our way to the bus stop we came upon the Palermo Cathedral and decided not to miss that either. It started life as a Byzantine Greek Orthodox church. Then became a mosque when the Moors conqured Palermo in 831. The Normans turned it into a Christian church when they took over in 1072.
The bus climbed for 40 minutes to the village of Monreale, giving us beautiful views over the city. The Duomo didn't look like much from the outside. But the guidebook was right. The inside blew us away! King William II ordered it built in 1183. Ten years and 2200 kg of gold later, it was finished.
Stunning is too puny a word. The Bible, from Creation to Resurrection, is depicted so beautifully in the mosaics. Our pictures won't do them justice but they'll give you some idea.
The guidebook said the Duomo di Monreale COULD NOT be missed. So, on our last day in Palermo, we decided not to miss it. On our way to the bus stop we came upon the Palermo Cathedral and decided not to miss that either. It started life as a Byzantine Greek Orthodox church. Then became a mosque when the Moors conqured Palermo in 831. The Normans turned it into a Christian church when they took over in 1072.
The bus climbed for 40 minutes to the village of Monreale, giving us beautiful views over the city. The Duomo didn't look like much from the outside. But the guidebook was right. The inside blew us away! King William II ordered it built in 1183. Ten years and 2200 kg of gold later, it was finished.
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