Monreale International Sacred Music Week

One of Italy's premier sacred music festivals

The Monreale International Sacred Music Week is a historic fixture on the Italian musical calendar. Established in the late 1950s, it celebrated its 67th edition in 2025. Every October, the Monreale Cathedral—a stunning 12th-century Norman cathedral and UNESCO World Heritage site, renowned for its golden mosaics—is transformed into an extraordinary concert hall where music engages in a dialogue with sacred art and architecture.

Internationally acclaimed conductors and artists

Throughout its long history, the festival has hosted some of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, from Riccardo Muti to Claudio Abbado and Zubin Mehta, cementing its international reputation. Recent editions have continued to feature high-profile orchestras, choirs, and soloists, ranging from the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana to European choral ensembles and prestigious interpreters of Baroque, Classical, and contemporary repertoires. The artistic program, curated with philological care, spans from 18th-century masterpieces to 20th-century works.

A multi-year thematic journey

The festival has adopted a structured three-year thematic cycle: the 2025 edition was dedicated to Genesis, inaugurated by Haydn's Die Schöpfung (The Creation). The cycle continues in 2026 with the theme Life of Christ, focusing on the mystery of the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection, and will conclude in 2027 with the Apocalypse. This organic design makes the Week not just a series of concerts, but a true spiritual and musical journey.

Free admission to the Cathedral

All concerts take place inside the Monreale Cathedral, typically in the evening, and are free to attend until capacity is reached. The 2025 edition attracted over two thousand spectators, confirming the strong bond between the event and both the local Sicilian public and numerous visitors.

Monreale and Sicily

The event is held in the town of Monreale, in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily. The Cathedral, with its Benedictine cloister and Byzantine mosaics, is one of the island's most visited tourist destinations. Attending a concert in this space means experiencing music, faith, art, and history all at once. The festival is organized by the Fondazione Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana with the support of the Sicilian Regional Tourism Department and in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Monreale.