Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale explained

Image Upright:	1.2
Location:	Sicily, Italy
Includes:	Cefalù Cathedral, Cattedrale di Monreale
Criteria:	(ii), (iv)
Id:	1487
Coordinates:	38.1108°N 13.3531°W
Year:	2015
Area:	6.235ha
Buffer Zone:	483.008ha

Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale is a series of nine religious and civic structures located on the northern coast of Sicily dating from the era of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily (1130-1194): two palaces, three churches, a cathedral, and a bridge in Palermo, as well as the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale. They have been designated together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This dedication took place in 2015.^[1]

The new Norman rulers built various structures in what has become known as the Arab-Norman style. They incorporated the best practices of Arab and Byzantine architecture into their own art.^[2] Although a different builder constructed each of the sites, they are linked together because of their shared architecture and time period.^[3] These sites work to create a shared identity among the areas that they are built in. This is because many people chose to visit the sites together, not just one at a time. Providing not only a steady revenue of tourism, but also a revenue of tourists that have visited each of the sites and bring that experience with them.

Currently all of the buildings are under continuous restoration and care. This care varies from site to site but most often consists of topical restoration (cleaning, maintaining murals, etc), research (what the building might have looked like originally and what was done there), and structural restoration (making sure the building is safe and structurally sound).^[4]

Structures

width=270px	Building	width=150px	City	width=210px	Photo
	Palermo
Palatine Chapel of the Royal Palace	Palermo
	Palermo
	Palermo
	Palermo
Church of the Martorana	Palermo
Church of Saint Cataldo	Palermo
	Palermo
	Cefalù
	Monreale

Notes and References

1. Web site: The stunning Norman cathedral of Monreale, Sicily, Italy . The Thinking Traveler . ABTOI . 7 May 2020.
2. Antonino Buttitta; J -Y Marin; Jean-Marie Levesque; Musée de Normandie, Les Normands en Sicile: XIe-XXIe siècles : histoire et légendes, 5 Continents, 2006, p. 14; Quote: ”Le genie architectural des Normands a su s’adapter aux lieux en prenant ce qu’il y a de meilleur dans le savoir-faire des batisseurs arabes et byzantins.”
3. Johnson . Mark . The Episcopal and Royal Views at Cefalu . Gesta . 1994 . 33 . 4 . 118–131 . 10.2307/767163 . 767163 . 192094629 .
4. Prescia . R . Arab-Norman Heritage: State of Knowledge and New Actions and Innovative Proposal . The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences . 2017 . 42W4 . 535 . 10.5194/isprs-archives-XLII-5-W1-535-2017 . 2017ISPAr42W4..535P . free .