Legend of the two brothers
The legend of the two brothers tells the origin of the Cathedral of Palermo and that of Monreale and enhances their beauty.
The legend tells of the competition of two brothers. There are different versions of their identities: in some cases they are identified in two architects, but in the best known version the two brothers identify themselves as William the Good and his brother, known as William the Bad.
Legend has it that William the Good he took care of the project of the cathedral of Monreale and that, at the same time, his brother William the Bad was responsible for the construction of the Cathedral of Palermo. For the two, this immediately became a real challenge, with the aim of overcoming the opponent in magnificence and beauty. William the Good concentrated more on the internal embellishment of the cathedral, wallpapering the walls of the church with gold mosaics, since he approached the concept of beauty to the human being, who fundamentally, according to his point of view, had to be beautiful more in the inner and outer aspect. On the contrary, William the bad took more care of the external appearance of the cathedral of Palermo, since for him the external beauty was what mattered most. them and that the other had done: they both committed suicide feeling defeated in front of the magnificence of the rival church.
