Editing Monreale (section)

===The Cathedral===
{{main|Monreale Cathedral}}
The cathedral of Monreale is one of the greatest extant examples of [[Norman architecture]]. It was begun in [[1170s in architecture|1174]] by [[William II of Sicily|William II]] and completed four years later. In 1182 the church, dedicated to the [[Nativity of Mary|Nativity of the Virgin Mary]], was, by a bull of Pope [[Lucius III]], elevated to the rank of a [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan cathedral]].<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911|wstitle=Monreale|volume=18|page=736|inline=1}}</ref>

The church is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily. Its size is 102 metres long and 47 meters wide. The façade is characterized by two large towers (one partially destroyed by lightning in 1807) and a portal with [[Romanesque sculpture|Romanesque]] bronze doors decorated by [[Bonanno Pisano]]. The interior is on the [[Latin cross]] plan, divided by ogival arcades, and features fresco cycles executed during the reigns of William II and [[Tancred of Sicily]] (c. 1194). The [[cloister]] has 228 small columns, each with different decorations influenced by Provençal, Burgundian, Arab and Salerno medieval art.