-
About
Table of Contents
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta stands on the southeastern side of Piazza Duomo, in the historic center of Reggio Calabria. Officially dedicated to Maria Santissima Assunta in Cielo, it is the metropolitan cathedral of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova and the principal Roman Catholic church in the city.
The Reggio Calabria Cathedral seen today is mainly a twentieth-century building, erected after the catastrophic earthquake of 1908. Its architecture, however, preserves the memory of a much older episcopal church repeatedly reconstructed after invasions, fires, wars, structural failures, and some of the most destructive earthquakes recorded in southern Italy.
With an interior measuring approximately 94 meters long, 22 meters wide, and 21 meters high, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the largest sacred building in Calabria. The church combines a reinforced-concrete structure with Neo-Romanesque forms, Gothic references, modern artworks, and important elements recovered from earlier cathedrals.
The façade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, seen from Piazza Duomo
Short History of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Reggio Calabria Cathedral)
Byzantine Reggio and the Norman Cathedral
The early history of Christianity in Reggio predates the present Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta by many centuries. Acts 28:13 records the arrival of Saint Paul at Rhegium during his journey toward Rome. Local ecclesiastical tradition connects that passage with the foundation of the Christian community and the episcopal succession associated with Saint Stephen of Nicaea.
Before the Norman Cathedral was built, Reggio developed between the sixth and eleventh centuries within the Byzantine political and religious world. The city became an important metropolitan see using the Greek rite. Documentary evidence concerning the cathedral buildings of this period is incomplete, and later disasters destroyed much of the relevant material.
A predecessor of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta existing before the Norman conquest was reportedly destroyed by Saracen forces around the middle of the eleventh century. It was rebuilt in the Greek manner after Byzantine authority briefly returned. This earlier church was later left to the Greek community and became associated with Santa Maria della Cattolica.
The historical formation of the Reggio Calabria Cathedral followed the Norman occupation of Reggio around 1060-1061, during the campaigns of Robert Guiscard. The new rulers restored the local metropolitan church to Roman jurisdiction and promoted Latin ecclesiastical institutions.
A separate Latin cathedral dedicated to the Assumption was probably constructed during the final decades of the eleventh century.
Medieval Chapels and the Bell Tower
During the episcopate of Guglielmo Logoteta, between 1316 and 1320, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta received a chapel dedicated to Saint Stephen the Protomartyr near the northern side of the medieval church. It contained a wooden statue and a funerary monument, although later renovations altered both its arrangement and its relationship with adjacent chapels.
Another chapel, dedicated to Santa Maria del Popolo, was established through the initiative of Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, a son of Ferdinand of Aragon. It housed a gilded wooden Madonna and Child venerated during the August celebrations of the Assumption, the titular feast of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.
In the early fifteenth century, Archbishop Antonio De Ricci restored the front section of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and commissioned a bell tower decorated with statues. Surviving evidence places work on the tower in the middle decades of the century. It was repeatedly damaged, modified, demolished, or reconstructed after seismic and military events.
Turkish Raids, Fires, and Seventeenth-Century Reconstruction
The sixteenth century brought major destruction. During the Turkish raid of 1574, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta was plundered and burned, and the archiepiscopal archive suffered severe losses.
Reconstruction of the Reggio Cathedral followed under Archbishop Gaspare Ricciullo del Fosso. The restored church was reconsecrated, but Turkish forces attacked Reggio again on September 2, 1594 and caused another major destruction.
After the 1594 devastation, Archbishop Annibale D’Afflitto financed repairs with personal resources and contributions from the diocese. The cathedral reopened for worship on December 22, 1599. Pastoral records subsequently described a functioning metropolitan church with a large nave, presbytery, chapels, burials, and spaces assigned to clergy and civic authorities.
Within the cathedral, the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, founded in 1539 by Archbishop Agostino Gonzaga, gradually became the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. It survived in altered form as the cathedral’s most important Baroque component. Its architectural fabric was later dismantled, conserved, and reconstructed within the twentieth-century church.
Major structural work began on October 20, 1665, under Archbishop Gaspare Creales. The Reggio Cathedral had suffered during conflict between Spanish and French forces, while its roof, beams, walls, and supporting elements had deteriorated. Contemporary documents described water entering through the damaged covering and serious concerns about structural stability.
The restoration of the cathedral was completed toward the end of the seventeenth century by Archbishop Martín Ybáñez y Villanueva. The project reorganized chapels, renewed floors and marble decoration, improved the sacristy, modified entrances, and rebuilt important structural components. An inscription dated 1682 is now preserved inside the present cathedral.
The seventeenth-century Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta retained a basilican arrangement but acquired a wider transept, a dome above the crossing, numerous lateral chapels, new furnishings, and a redesigned bell tower.
Eighteenth-Century Changes and the Earthquake of 1783
A serious fire led to another radical renovation of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and a new consecration on October 22, 1741, under Archbishop Damiano Polou. During the following decades, the sacristies were enlarged, decorative work continued, and the interior accumulated altars, tombs, paintings, liturgical objects, and marble revetments.
A detailed 1772 inventory described the old Reggio Calabria Cathedral shortly before the earthquake of 1783. The façade faced west and included multiple entrances, a colonnaded front, sculpture, and a bell tower. The interior was divided into three naves and contained several floor levels, numerous chapels, episcopal monuments, and municipal seating.
The earthquake of February 5, 1783 severely damaged the cathedral. The façade became unsafe and had to be demolished, while other sections required dismantling or reconstruction. Engineer Giovan Battista Mori, who participated in the wider rebuilding of Reggio, prepared the technical plans and directed the project adopted after financial considerations limited earlier proposals.
Demolition of dangerous structures at the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta continued until 1790, when rebuilding advanced under Mori with assistance from local clergy. Archbishop Alberto Maria Capobianco promoted the project, while resources from the archiepiscopal administration supported the works.
The renewed cathedral was inaugurated on September 10, 1796, during the September Marian celebrations. Its elevated floor was connected to the redesigned square by a broad staircase. A new chapel dedicated to Saint Paul replaced several earlier spaces, reflecting the importance of Pauline tradition in Reggio’s religious identity.
Interior decoration of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta continued into the nineteenth century. In 1804, marble and stucco finishing was advanced and the principal façade assumed a Neoclassical form. Further projects after 1820 added a polychrome-marble high altar, restored the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, and provided new liturgical furnishings.
Earthquakes continued to affect the Reggio Calabria Cathedral. Damage in 1841 prompted consolidation and reconstruction of the bell tower. Later nineteenth-century projects raised the presbytery floor, renewed stucco and decorative surfaces, installed a new pavement, and added a polyphonic organ inaugurated on February 20, 1887.
The 1908 Earthquake and the Present Cathedral
The earthquake of December 28, 1908 devastated Reggio Calabria and Messina. The nineteenth-century Reggio Calabria Cathedral suffered such serious damage that authorities chose complete reconstruction rather than limited restoration.
For the present cathedral, Archbishop Rinaldo Camillo Rousset entrusted the initial design to the Carmelite Father Carmelo Umberto Angiolini. Angiolini proposed a Neo-Romanesque cathedral influenced by northern Italian medieval architecture.
Engineer Mariano Francesconi modified technical and structural aspects of the project during construction. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta was built with a reinforced-concrete framework, an advanced choice for a major Italian church of that period.
The first stone of the Reggio Calabria Cathedral was laid on July 15, 1917, during the First World War. Construction continued through difficult economic and logistical conditions. The principal structure was sufficiently complete by 1928 to host major religious events, although finishing work and construction of the bell tower extended beyond the consecration.
The new Reggio Calabria Cathedral was solemnly consecrated on September 2, 1928, by Archbishop Carmelo Pujia. Work continued into 1929, particularly on the bell tower and final architectural elements. The monumental staircase and exterior sculptural program were completed during the following years.
On June 21, 1978, Pope Paul VI elevated the cathedral to the dignity of a minor basilica. The cathedral remains the mother church of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova, the seat of major diocesan liturgies, and the principal destination of the annual devotion to the Madonna della Consolazione.
The interior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
Architecture of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Reggio Calabria Cathedral)
Exterior and Main Façade
The present Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is primarily Neo-Romanesque, although its design incorporates eclectic, Gothic, and early-twentieth-century decorative references. The architecture does not reproduce one historical model.
The principal façade faces the large, tree-lined Piazza Duomo. Four vertical towers divide it into three sections. Their lower parts are square, while the upper stages become octagonal and open with decorative arches. Crosses crown the towers, emphasizing the strongly vertical composition of the cathedral.
The central section of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta terminates in a triangular gable defined by sloping sides. A large rose window rises above a three-light window, while arcades, colonnettes, cornices, sculpted motifs, and small gallery-like elements continue along the façade.
A projecting porch protects the main entrance. It rests on grouped columns and carries a Greek inscription based on Acts 28:13, translated as “Sailing around, we came to Reggio”. The inscription explicitly connects the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta with the documented passage of Saint Paul through ancient Rhegium.
The forecourt of the Reggio Calabria Cathedral includes a staircase approximately 10 meters deep, constructed in local stone. The broad rise reinforces the building’s elevated position above Piazza Duomo and creates a ceremonial approach to the three entrances. Statues of Saint Paul and Saint Stephen of Nicaea frame the façade.
Basilica Plan and Interior Structure
The Reggio Calabria Cathedral follows a monumental basilica plan with three naves. Rows of marble-clad columns separate the wide central nave from the narrower lateral aisles. Their bases are shaped with bell-like profiles, while the upper structure supports exposed roof trusses and a continuous sequence of arches.
The interior dimensions are approximately 94 meters in length, 22 meters in width, and 21 meters in height. These measurements make the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta the largest sacred building in Calabria according to the cathedral administration.
Inside the cathedral, three transepts interrupt the longitudinal naves and create broad crossing spaces. The central axis leads toward an elevated presbytery and a polygonal apse. Eight chapels open along each side, although their spacing changes near the transepts and liturgical areas.
Light enters through numerous polychrome stained-glass windows. Some depict Christ, angels, Evangelists, apostles, saints, and episodes from the life of Mary, while others use geometric and ornamental patterns.
The central nave is covered by an exposed trussed roof that preserves the visual rhythm of medieval basilican architecture. The open structure emphasizes the length of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and avoids the heavy continuous vaulting associated with many Baroque churches rebuilt in southern Italy after earthquakes.
The elevated presbytery of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is reached by nine steps and terminates in the polygonal apse. The Chapel of the Assumption stands to the left, while the Chapel of Saint Paul stands to the right.
Reinforced Concrete and the Bell Tower
The reinforced-concrete frame is one of the defining structural features of the present cathedral. It represents the response of designers and engineers to the 1908 disaster and to new anti-seismic regulations.
The bell tower of the Reggio Calabria Cathedral, approximately 28.15 meters high, was completed in stages after the 1928 consecration. Cathedral chronology records its principal construction in 1929, while other architectural records date final completion to September 1931. Its articulated surfaces repeat the Neo-Romanesque language of the church.
The tower of the Reggio Calabria Cathedral contains important bells connected with the building’s twentieth-century history. A large bell commissioned after the Lateran reconciliation was blessed in 1930 and weighs approximately 2,300 kilograms. Metal recovered from bells destroyed in 1908 was also reused for instruments made for the rebuilt cathedral.
The interior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
Art of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Reggio Calabria Cathedral)
Statues and Bronze Portals
The two monumental statues outside the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta were created by Francesco Jerace, one of Calabria’s most important modern sculptors, and installed in 1934. Saint Paul stands on the left of the façade, while Saint Stephen of Nicaea, traditionally regarded as Reggio’s first bishop, stands on the right.
Three bronze portals were installed at the cathedral in 1988 for the Twenty-First National Eucharistic Congress held in Reggio. The central portal, designed by Luigi Venturini, presents episodes from the earthly and heavenly life of the Virgin and emphasizes the cathedral’s dedication to the Assumption.
The left portal, by Biagio Poidimani, illustrates the history of Reggio’s devotion to the Madonna della Consolazione. The right portal, by Nunzio Bibbò, depicts episodes from the apostolate of Paul of Tarsus.
The Reggio Calabria Cathedral also preserves Jerace’s marble pulpit, completed in 1902 for the previous church and transferred after the earthquake. Its sculptural decoration and travertine palms represent an important artistic connection between the nineteenth-century cathedral and the building consecrated in 1928.
The Presbytery and Main Liturgical Furnishings
The presbytery of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta contains several major twentieth-century works. The polychrome-marble high altar behind the episcopal chair was made in 1929 by Concesso Barca. After the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, it lost its primary celebratory function but remained an important architectural focus.
The marble episcopal chair was created by Alessandro Monteleone during the 1950s. It was later repositioned on a raised platform within the wooden choir. The chair forms the visual center of the apsidal arrangement.
The present basilican altar of the cathedral was created by Antonio Berti and consecrated on May 27, 1970. Its elliptical marble body is wrapped by a continuous bronze relief. Positioned at the center of the presbytery on three steps, it allows celebration facing the congregation.
Two semicircular marble ambos in the Reggio Calabria Cathedral, made by Concesso Barca in 1929, stand beside the presbytery staircase. Bronze eagles by Pietro Pirajno decorate them. The monumental wooden choir, produced in 1926 by the Pennate workshop, includes elaborately carved stalls arranged in three levels around the apse.
A large wooden crucifix in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta hangs below the triumphal arch. The cross measures approximately 370 by 287 centimeters, while the figure of Christ measures about 190 by 195 centimeters. After restoration, Archbishop Vittorio Mondello ordered its present suspended position in June 2001.
Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is the most important surviving Baroque monument within the Cathedral of Reggio Calabria. It originated in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity founded in 1539. Later confraternal patronage, rebuilding, marble work, and seventeenth-century decoration transformed it into a richly unified Eucharistic space.
Earthquakes in 1783 and 1908 seriously damaged the chapel. During the twentieth-century reconstruction, its masonry structure was demolished, but marble revetments, altar elements, statues, and paintings were carefully recovered. The chapel was then reassembled at the end of the left transept rather than in its former position.
Reconstruction lasted for decades and was interrupted in 1943 when an incendiary device damaged the chapel during wartime bombing. Archbishop Giovanni Ferro later promoted restoration with the Henraux company and the competent heritage authorities. The restored chapel reopened for worship on December 25, 1965.
Its nearly square plan is articulated by corner supports, paired half-pillars, niches, and framed painted panels. The walls are covered with elaborate polychrome marble inlay using floral, animal, and geometric motifs.
Eight marble statues occupy wall niches. They represent Saints Peter and Paul, the four Evangelists, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint Bonaventure. The sculptures were produced between 1930 and 1933 by Concesso Barca and Vincenzo Jerace, partly following earlier plaster models by Rocco Larussa.
Paintings by Nunzio Bava depict the Supper at Emmaus, the Angel appearing to Elijah, the Multiplication of the loaves, and Moses striking water from the rock.
The chapel’s altar includes dark porphyry columns with yellow veining. Above it is the Sacrifice of Melchizedek, painted in 1665 by Domenico Marolì of Messina.
Paintings, Stained Glass, Baptistery, and Organ
The Chapel of the Assumption contains a large nineteenth-century canvas attributed to Giuseppe Crestadoro, representing the Assumption of the Virgin. The work, dated around 1804, measures approximately 2 by 4.5 meters.
On the opposite side, a canvas painted in 1823 by Minaldi represents the episcopal consecration of Saint Stephen of Nicaea by Saint Paul. The composition combines local tradition with ecclesiastical history and mirrors the paired statues installed outside the Cathedral of Reggio Calabria.
A silvered-bronze baptismal font made in 1818 by the Neapolitan silversmith Francesco Auria was transferred from the former cathedral. Its survival provides another direct material connection with the church damaged in 1908. The baptistery chapel also contains a bronze Pietà created by Nunzio Bibbò in 1989.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta contains 25 principal window openings with figurative stained glass, some formed as double or triple windows. Another 28 grouped series of geometric windows run around the upper gallery. The Roman workshop of G. C. Giuliani produced the glazing in 1928 and restored it in 1947.
The modern pipe organ was built by Fratelli Ruffatti after the earlier Balbiani instrument was removed in 1968. It was subsequently expanded and restored by Michelotto between 2001 and 2008. Published technical descriptions list 4,805 pipes, 73 stops, four manuals, and a 32-note pedalboard.
The right aisle preserves episcopal tombs and monuments from different periods. Among them are burials connected with seventeenth-century bishops and modern archbishops, including Giovanni Ferro.
Near the right transept, a burned fragment of column is displayed in a glass case. According to local tradition, it is connected with the miracle of Saint Paul, who was permitted to preach only while a candle burned. The story says the stone column itself caught fire after the candle went out.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta also houses the revered image of the Madonna della Consolazione during part of each year. Painted by Nicolò Andrea Capriolo in 1547, it shows the enthroned Virgin and Child between Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Francis of Assisi.
The image is normally kept at the Basilica dell’Eremo. On the second Saturday of September, it is carried in procession to the Reggio Calabria Cathedral, where it remains until the final Sunday of November. The annual transfer is one of the most important religious events in the city.
How to Get to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Reggio Calabria Cathedral)
Getting to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta on foot
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta stands at Via Tommaso Campanella 46, facing Piazza Duomo. From Reggio di Calabria Centrale railway station, the walking route is approximately 700-800 meters, depending on the chosen streets. Most visitors can cover the distance in about 10 minutes by walking north through the central grid.
A simple route follows the area of Piazza Garibaldi and continues toward Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, the principal pedestrian and commercial axis of central Reggio. Piazza Duomo lies directly along this urban corridor, making the Reggio Calabria Cathedral easy to combine with the waterfront, Aragonese Castle, and other central attractions.
Getting to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta by bus
ATAM operates the urban bus network in Reggio Calabria. The closest bus stop to the Reggio Calabria Cathedral is Piazza Duomo, served by urban bus lines 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, and 15. These routes connect the cathedral square with other areas of Reggio Calabria, making the site easy to reach without using a car.
Because Reggio di Calabria Centrale railway station is located close to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, travelers arriving by train can usually reach Piazza Duomo on foot. Public transport is particularly useful for visitors traveling from the airport, northern districts, suburban neighborhoods, or other locations outside the compact historic center.
Getting to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta by taxi
Taxis can take visitors directly to Piazza Duomo or Via Tommaso Campanella. The journey from Reggio di Calabria Centrale to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is very short, while the trip from Reggio Calabria Airport is approximately 5 kilometers, depending on the route. Travel time varies with traffic.
The altar of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
Frequently Asked Questions about the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Reggio Calabria Cathedral)
Where is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta located?
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is located at Via Tommaso Campanella 46, on the southeastern side of Piazza Duomo, in the historic center of Reggio Calabria.
When was the present Reggio Calabria Cathedral built?
The first stone of the Reggio Calabria Cathedral was laid on July 15, 1917. The building was consecrated on September 2, 1928, with completion work continuing afterward.
Who designed the present cathedral?
The original project for the Reggio Calabria Cathedral was prepared by Father Carmelo Umberto Angiolini. Engineer Mariano Francesconi later modified technical and structural aspects during construction.
How large is Reggio Calabria Cathedral?
The Reggio Calabria Cathedral measures approximately 94 meters long, 22 meters wide, and 21 meters high. Cathedral authorities describe it as the largest sacred building in Calabria.
What are the most important artworks inside?
Highlights include the Baroque Blessed Sacrament Chapel, Francesco Jerace’s pulpit, historic paintings, the 1818 baptismal font, bronze portals, stained glass, and twentieth-century liturgical furnishings.
Is there an entrance fee, and when can tourists visit?
General entry to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is free. Official hours are generally 7:00-12:00 and 15:30-19:00 in winter, or 16:00-20:00 in summer; visits pause during services.
Sources: -
Photos
-
Map
-
Reviews
