| Sunday morning we took the bus to the town of Monreale located in the hills just outside Palermo. Here we visited one of the artistic treasures of Sicily, the beautiful Monreale Cathedral and its Benedictine cloister. This cathedral was one of the greatest artistic masterpieces of the Middle Ages, absolutely breathtaking with its 68,208 square feet of tiny golden mosaics incorporating Norman, Arab, and Byzantine art. In the center was the Christ Pantocrator (the Lord of the Universe) giving the benediction. Representing all the ethnic groups in Palermo at that time, the Christ was made up of the Norman hair, the Arab beard, and the Byzantine Greek nose. It was a most striking figure, and we could feel his arms reaching out and enveloping us. Only this cathedral, Palermo�s Cappella Palatina, and Cefalu�s cathedral displayed this unique Christ Pantocrator. |
