The monument complex, consisting of the Basilica, the Convent with the Cloister and the Royal Palace, was built in the 12th century by the young Norman king William II, known as The Good, who succeeded his father William I in 1166 at the age of just thirteen, and who was assassinated by Matteo Bonello.
William II had the Monreale complex built from 1174 onwards, and it was completed in just ten years. As early as 1176, the temple dedicated to the Virgin Mary was handed over by the king to the Benedictine monks coming from Cava dei Tirreni and led by Abbot Theobald, who became bishop soon afterwards. A few years later, in 1183, Pope Lucius III elevated Monreale to an archiepiscopal see.
Only in recent years has it been possible to begin the restoration of this grandiose monument complex, much of which has already been completed. This included the recovery of three Norman towers located within the Villa Comunale (Belvedere, Fornace and delle Carceri) and the Church of the Agonising, built at the beginning of the Baroque era and which has a nave layout originally adorned with decorations and valuable statues in high stucco relief. In addition, the renovation and restoration of the complex also involved the premises where the Convitto Guglielmo had its seat and which now house the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, named after Giuseppe Sciortino, a popular writer and art critic from Monreale who died in 1971.
Here we find a remarkable collection of 20th century works of art donated to the municipality by the painter Eleonora Nora Posabella to honour the memory of Sciortino, who had been her partner. The exhibition tour takes us through paintings, works on paper, sculptures and ceramics by renowned Italian artists such as Cantatore, Casorati, Rosai, De Chirico, De Pisis, Guttuso, Morandi, Omiccioli, Purificato, Soffici, Schifano and Tromabadori.
Source: Press Office
