With the arrival of the Normans, Sicily became a Christian land again, but tensions soon began between the not strong enough sovereign and the too powerful barons. Two parties were created. The king leans towards the pope, the other front is formed by the barons and the archbishop of Palermo Gualterio Offamilio: the outcome of the clash became visible a few miles from the capital, where an imposing architectural complex dedicated to Our Lady was built. The new abbey possessed a vast land, and Benedictines from Cava dei Tirreni were called to officiate at its rites: since there were only woods, countryside and Muslim settlements around, the king attracted men from other regions to populate the newly founded city and defend it. The miracle of building is soon accomplished, in just a few years Byzantine, Arab and Latin craftsmen created one of the highest examples of the art known as ‘Arab-Norman’. In 1183 Pope Lucius III granted the cathedral of Monreale the status of metropolitan church.
Monreale was the most powerful among Sicilian ecclesiastical lordships, a privilege given in 1182 by the royal chancellery in three languages – Latin, Greek and Arabic – defining its territory and declaring the abbey “the mistress” of 72 fiefdoms: although much of the land was in the hands of the Saracens, and only after a long internal crusade and a slow repopulation, the normans could finally collect rents and give rights.
Surrounded by walls with 12 alternating towers, the abbey is a fortified citadel. More than the Cluniac abbey models, its structure could be compared to the mosques of Islamic cities: from the apses facing East to the architecture of the cloister, the cathedral of Monreale tells us of a multi-ethnic but not pacified Sicily, where Latin elements slowly ended up prevailing.
Thanks to the prestige of the cathedral and the richness of its archiepiscopal office, especially during the first centuries, the diocese of Monreale was administered throughout history by different archbishops belonging to the most important families of Christianity. Some archbishops have left very evident marks in the territory, three of whom stand out: