“It's pure beauty” – the largest medieval mosaics in Italy have been restored

On a hill overlooking the city of Palermo in Sicily sits a lesser-known jewel of Italian art: the Cathedral of Monreale.

Built in the 12th century during Norman rule, it boasts the largest Byzantine-style mosaics in Italy, second only to those of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site has now undergone extensive restoration to return it to its former glory.

The Montreal mosaics were intended to impress, humble and inspire the visitor who walked the central nave, following the fashion of Constantinople, the capital of the surviving Roman Empire to the east.

They cover over 6,400 square meters and contain about 2.2 kg of solid gold.

The restoration took over a year, during which time the cathedral was turned into something of a construction site, with a maze of scaffolding placed over the altar and transept.

Local experts from the Italian Ministry of Culture led a series of interventions, starting with the removal of a thick layer of dust that had accumulated on the mosaics over the years.

They then repaired some of the tiles that had lost their enamel and gold leaf, making them look like black spots underneath.

Finally, they intervened where the tiles were coming off the wall and secured them.

Working on the mosaics was a challenge and a great responsibility, says Father Nicolas Gallio.

He has been a priest here for 17 years and has followed the restoration closely, not unlike a frightened father.

“The team approached this job almost on tiptoe,” he tells me.

“Sometimes there were some unforeseen issues and they had to stop operations until they found a solution.

“For example, when they got to the ceiling, they realized that in the past it had been covered with a layer of varnish that had turned yellowish. They had to peel it off, literally, like foil.”

The mosaics were last partially restored in 1978, but this time the intervention was much more extensive and included the replacement of the old lighting system.

“There was a very old system. The light was low, the energy costs were through the roof and it in no way did justice to the beauty of the mosaics,” says Matteo Kundari.

He is the country manager of Zumtobel, the company commissioned to install the new lights.

“The main challenge was to make sure we highlighted the mosaics and created something that met the different needs of the cathedral,” he adds.

“We also wanted to create a completely reversible system, something that could be replaced in 10 or 15 years without damaging the building.”

This first tranche of works cost 1.1 million euros. A second, focused on the central nave, is then planned.

I ask Father Gallio how it feels to see the scaffolding finally come down and the mosaics shine in their new light. He laughs and shrugs.

“When you see it, you are filled with awe and cannot think of anything else. It's pure beauty,” he says.

“It is a responsibility to be the guardian of such a world heritage. This world needs beauty because it reminds us of what is good in humanity, what it means to be a man and a woman.”