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officially known as 'Santa Maria Assunta', is located at the corner of Corso Vittorio Emanuele Via Matteo Bonello. It is located on a site that was originally occupied by a large Byzantine Greek Orthodox church; however, soon after the Moors conquered Palermo in 831, it was converted into a mosque. After the Normans gained control in 1072, the mosque was then re- consecrated as a Christian church. The present cathedral was not completed for another century & has been greatly modified since. Work on the present neoclassical facade, the great dome, & the smaller cupolas over the side aisles (visible on the left) was carried out between 1781 & 1801. There are many who feel that the great dome & the extensive Baroque reconstruction of the interior completely defaced the beautiful Norman-Arab arches & lines of the interior of the church, & corrupted the exterior's intended effect.
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Western Europe
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