Monreale Cathedral

Monreale Cathedral is a Catholic church in Monreale, a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily. One of the greatest extant examples of Norman architecture, it was begun in 1174 by William II of Sicily and is dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The church was elevated by a bull of Pope Lucius III to the rank of a metropolitan cathedral in 1182 as the seat of the diocese of Monreale, which was elevated to the Archdiocese of Monreale in 1183. Since 2015 it has been part of the Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale UNESCO World Heritage Site. The church is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily. It is 102 meters (335 feet) long and 40 meters (131 feet) wide.