Monreale Cathedral
the chystro

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

Monreale, together with Cefalù, represents an example of Church-Cathedrals with an annexed convent cloister , rare in Europe.In the Middle Ages, it became the beating heart of monastic life by combining spiritual and functional aspects, while at the same time fulfilling a liturgical function for the processional ceremonies held in the adjacent Cathedral. Inside the aisles, the east side housed the chapter house, in contrast to the refectory located to the west. The south side housed the dormitory, while the body of the church still forms the northern front.
In this space, the sculptural Romanesque decoration becomes the interpreter of the courtly language which, in the East , was represented by the magnificence of the mosaic ornamentation.
The  multicultural expansion of the Norman kingdom introduced not only Byzantine East and Islamic languages to Sicily, but also Provençal artistic forms.
Unlike the Cefalù cloister, whose position on the north side of the cathedral is a result of the land’s orography, the Monreale cloister is located, according to canonical rule, against the cathedral’s southern front. However, some similarities can be found in the architectural composition of the lanes, in which twin columns are used in both cases.

CLOISTER GARDEN
The central courtyard of the cloister is canonically defined as a garden, in which no flower essences are planted because they are deciduous; instead, the flowers are sculpted in the capitals, in the eternal nature of the stone. The garden, according to tradition, is divided into four parts where four symbolic trees are planted, the fig, the pomegranate, the olive and the palm. The first two plants, the fig and the pomegranate, refer to the Old Testament, as they are considered to be historical. The fig tree is located in the south-east and symbolises the Garden of Eden. The pomegranate tree is located in the north-east the garden of the Song of Songs. For the New Testament, the presence of symbolic plants is notable. The Olive tree, an allegory of Gethsemane and the future Easter, is located to the north-east, while the Palm tree, in the garden of the Apocalypse, is located to the south-west.

A fundamental and highly symbolic role in the cloister, a green space imbued with peace, silence and spirituality, is played by the plants in the garden and the water. The garden does not contain flowers, which are instead carved into the stone of the capitals, but, divided into four parts, it is an oasis for four “biblical” plants: the fig, the pomegranate, the olive and the palm.
The first two plants, the fig and the pomegranate, refer to the Old Testament, as they are considered to be historical. The fig tree is located in the south-east and symbolises the Garden of Eden and therefore the place of creation.
The pomegranate tree is located in the north-east, in the garden of the Song of Songs, where the groom meets the bride. For the New Testament, the presence of symbolic plants is notable. The Olive tree, an allegory of Gethsemane and the future Easter, is located to the north-west, while the Palm tree, in the garden of the Apocalypse, is located to the south-west.
Water, a fundamental element of the cloistered space, a sign of salvation and purification, spouts from the lion and human mouths of the singular fountain , located at the corner between the western and southern aisles, a palimpsest of different stylistic characters. The fountain, named after the king, gives the cloister the image of an enclosed garden, an allegory of Paradise.

The stone bible

The Cathedral over the centuries

The medieval city amidst monasticism and feudal aristocracy

A polysemy of high-level artistic forms and content

Ecclesia munita

The links between the hauteville family and the monastic orders in Sicily

Biblical themes enlivened by the dazzling light of the stained – glass windows overlooking the naves

Cefalù: settlement evidence through time

The Great Restoration

The plasticism of the main portico and Bonanno Pisano’s Monumental Bronze Door

Gardens and architecture as a backdrop to the city of Palermo

From the main gate to the aisles: an invitation to a journey of faith

Palermo: the happiest city

A remarkable ceiling

Characteristics of religious architecture in the romanesque period

The Bible carved in stone

Worship services

The lost chapel

The chapel of St. Benedict

The dialogue between the architectures of the monumental complex

The mosaics of the presbytery

Under the crosses of the Bema

Interior decorations

The Great Presbytery: a unique space for the cathedral

A chapel by an unknown designer based on repeated symmetries

The Kings’ Cathedrals

The towers facing the facade used as bell towers

The beginning of the construction site

A Northern population

Thirteenth-century iconography decorates the nave’s wooden ceiling, designed with new solutions

Norman religious architecture with islamic influences in Sicily

Roger II of hauteville: a sovereign protected by God

Tempus fugit: a strategic project implemented in a short period of time

The transformations of the hall through the centuries

A tree full of life

The decorated facade

The columns of the nave: the meticulous study of the overall order

The Virgin Hodegetria

A controversial interpretation

The Gualtiero Cathedral

A cloister of accentuated stylistic variety

Porphyry sarcophagi: royalty and power

The chorus: beating heart of the cathedral

The balance between architecture and light

The Cefalù cathedral: a construction yard undergoing a change between a surge of faith and control over the territory

Two initially similar towers, varied over time

The southern portico

A new Cathedral

From the Mosque to the Cathedral

The side aisles

The longest aisle

The cultural substrate through time

The rediscovered chapel

The paradisiacal “Conca d’oro” that embraces Palermo: a name with countless faces through time

Layers of different cultures decorate the external apses

The architectural modifications ti the cathedral building after the death of Roger II and the transformations of the cloister

Transformations over the centuries

The construction of Monreale Cathedral: between myth and history

The Chapel of the Kings

Roger II’s strategic design

The side Portico: a combination of elegance and lightness of form

Squaring the circle

The original design

The chapel of san Castrense: an important renaissance work

A mixture of styles pervades the floor decorations

The chapel of the crucifix: an artistic casket based on a previous model

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene

Beyond the harmony of proportions

A space between the visible and the invisible

The liturgical spaces of the protesis and the diaconicon

A palimpsest of history

The marble portal: an intimate dialogue between complex ornamental aspects and formal structure

A compositional design that combines nordic examples with new artistic languages, over the centuries

The senses tell Context 1

The cemetery of kings

Survey of the royal tombs

Mosaic decoration

The king’s mark

The chystro: a place between earth and sky

The area of the Sanctuary

Artistic elements in Peter’s ship

The mosaics of the apses

The towers and the western facade