Inscription in the UNESCO World Heritage List
Bonn (Germany) 2015
The World Heritage Committee, after having examined the documents, has inscribed the Arab-Norman Palermo Site and the Cefalù and Monreale Cathedral Churches in the World Heritage List, on the basis of criteria (ii) and (iv);
Brief summary of the Declaration of Outstanding Universal Value
Located on the northern coast of the Italian island of Sicily, Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cefalù and Monreale Cathedral Churches are a series of nine religious and civil structures dating back to the era of the Norman kingdom of Sicily (1130-1194). Two palaces, three churches, a cathedral and a bridge are located in Palermo, the capital of the kingdom, and two cathedrals are in the towns of Monreale and Cefalù. Collectively, they represent an outstanding example of socio-cultural syncretism between Western, Islamic and Byzantine cultures. This exchange gave rise to a new kind of architectural and artistic expression based on new concepts of space, structure and decoration that spread widely throughout the Mediterranean region.
The monuments that make up this 6,235 hectare Serial Heritage Site include the Royal Palace and the Palatine Chapel; the Zisa Palace; the Palermo Cathedral; the Monreale Cathedral; the Cefalù Cathedral; the Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti; the Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio; the Church of San Cataldo; and the Admiral’s Bridge.
Each of these illustrates important aspects of the Western-Islamic-Byzantine multicultural syncretism that characterised the Norman kingdom of Sicily during the 12th century. The innovative reworking of architectural forms, structures and materials and their artistic, decorative and iconographic treatments, in particular the rich and extensive mosaics, opus sectile floors, inlays, sculptural elements, paintings and furnishings, celebrate the fruitful coexistence of people of different origins.
Criterion (ii): Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cefalù and Monreale Cathedral Churches are evidence of a particular political and cultural condition characterised by the fruitful coexistence of peoples of different origins (Muslim, Byzantine, Latin, Jewish, Lombard and French). This exchange generated a conscious and unique combination of elements, derived from the architectural and artistic techniques of Byzantine, Islamic and Western traditions. This new style contributed to the development of architecture on the Tyrrhenian side of southern Italy and spread widely throughout the medieval Mediterranean region.
Criterion (iv): Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cefalù and Monreale Cathedral Churches are an exceptional example of stylistic synthesis that created new spatial, constructional and decorative concepts through the innovative and coherent reworking of elements from different cultures.
Integrity
Serial Heritage includes all the elements necessary to express its proposed Outstanding Universal Value, including religious, civil and engineering works and is, therefore, of adequate size to ensure the full representation of the features and processes which convey the significance of the Heritage, which does not suffer, unduly, from the negative effects of development or neglect.
Authenticity
The cultural value of Heritage and its individual components is expressed truthfully and credibly through attributes such as their location and setting, forms and design, materials and substances, uses and functions. The authenticity of the mosaics, in particular, has been confirmed by experts in the field of Byzantine mosaics.
