Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalรบ and Monreale
Located on the northern coast of Sicily,
Arab-Norman Palermo includes a series of nine civil and religious
structures dating from the era of the Norman kingdom of Sicily
(1130-1194): two palaces, three churches, a cathedral, a bridge, as well
as the cathedrals of Cefalรบ and Monreale. Collectively, they are an
example of a social-cultural syncretism between Western, Islamic and
Byzantine cultures on the island which gave rise to new concepts of
space, structure and decoration. They also bear testimony to the
fruitful coexistence of people of different origins and religions
(Muslim, Byzantine, Latin, Jewish, Lombard and French).