Chiostro dei Benedettini fountain
"Perhaps the crowning glory of the cloister is the Arab fountain in the southwest corner. The fountain is almost a mini-cloister within the cloister, surrounded by its own four-sided colonnade."
"The Chiostro dei Benedettini (Benedictines' cloister) behind the Duomo of Monreale is a masterpiece of 12th century art with Arab-Norman arches borne by 228 twin columns (four on each corner). All columns have carved Romanesque capitals, of which very few are alike. They are the work of five master craftsmen, assisted by several apprentices. Many of the columns are also decorated with Arab style diaper work — decorative treatment of a surface with a repeat pattern of squares (chequers), rectangles, or lozenges; some other columns are adorned with carved reliefs.
The capitals depict biblical scenes and allegories, mythological scenes, quasi-heraldic elements, Arab warriors and Norman knights, as well as fauna and foliage motifs. Even the Classical subjects betray a certain inventiveness: the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian capitals, for example, appear ruffled by the wind."
Monreale, Sicily. 2018
Chiostro dei Benedettini fountain
"Perhaps the crowning glory of the cloister is the Arab fountain in the southwest corner. The fountain is almost a mini-cloister within the cloister, surrounded by its own four-sided colonnade."
"The Chiostro dei Benedettini (Benedictines' cloister) behind the Duomo of Monreale is a masterpiece of 12th century art with Arab-Norman arches borne by 228 twin columns (four on each corner). All columns have carved Romanesque capitals, of which very few are alike. They are the work of five master craftsmen, assisted by several apprentices. Many of the columns are also decorated with Arab style diaper work — decorative treatment of a surface with a repeat pattern of squares (chequers), rectangles, or lozenges; some other columns are adorned with carved reliefs.
The capitals depict biblical scenes and allegories, mythological scenes, quasi-heraldic elements, Arab warriors and Norman knights, as well as fauna and foliage motifs. Even the Classical subjects betray a certain inventiveness: the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian capitals, for example, appear ruffled by the wind."
Monreale, Sicily. 2018