Editing Monreale (section)

==History==
{{See also|History of Palermo|History of Sicily}}
After the occupation of Palermo by the Arabs (the [[Emirate of Sicily]]), the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palermo|Bishop of Palermo]] was forced to move his seat outside the capital. The role of a cathedral was assigned to a modest little church, ''Aghia Kiriaki'', in a nearby village later known as Monreale. After [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|the Norman conquest in 1072]], Christians took back [[Palermo Cathedral|the former Palermo cathedral]]. Probably the village's role as a temporary ecclesiastical centre played a part in [[William II of Sicily|King William II's]] decision to build a cathedral here.<ref>Rodo Santoro: ''Palermo Cathedral,'' Palermo: 1999, p. 7</ref>

Monreale was a small village for a long time. When the [[Italo-Normans|Norman]] [[Kings of Sicily]] chose the area as their hunting resort, more people and commerce came to the area after the royalty built a palace (probably identifiable with the modern town hall).

Under King William II, a large monastery of [[Benedictine]]s coming from [[Cava de' Tirreni]], with its church, was founded and provided with large assets. The new construction also had an important defensive function. Monreale was the seat of the [[metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] [[archbishop]] of Sicily,<ref name=EB1911/> which from then on exerted a significant influence over Sicily.

In the 19th century, underage marriages, or those performed without the blessing of the bride's parents, were known as "the marriages of Monreale", according to [[Eliza Lynn Linton]]. These referred to marriages performed in remote places, where the law was less observed.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Linton|first1=Eliza Lynn|title=Some Sicilian Customs|date=1885|publisher='The Eclectic Magazine'|edition=41|url=https://archive.org/stream/eclecticmagazin06conggoog#page/n86/mode/2up|quote=The church did not sanction marriage younger than these several ages [20 for men, 18 for women], save in exceptional cases; and anyone who assisted at the marriage of a girl below the age of 18, without the consent of her parents or guardians, was imprisoned for life and forfeited all he had. This law, however, was frequently broken in remote places, and especially about Palermo, where "the marriages of Monreale" have passed into a proverb. When a young girl, say of sixteen, marries and has a good childbirth, they say "She has been to Monreale".}}</ref> (see [[Gretna Green]]).