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. 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 Read more [...]
All Churches in Reggio Calabria
The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the largest religious building in Calabria, is Reggio Calabria’s main church. Rebuilt after the 1908 earthquake, it features Neo-Romanesque and eclectic architecture. Inside the cathedral, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament preserves splendid Calabrian Baroque decoration, while the historic Church of the Ottimati is renowned for its Cosmatesque mosaic floor.
Other important religious landmarks include the Church of San Giorgio al Corso, dedicated to the city’s patron saint, the Church of San Sebastiano Martire al Crocefisso, and the Church of Santa Maria dell’Itria. The Cattolica dei Greci also reflects Reggio Calabria’s historic connection with the Byzantine tradition and the Greek Catholic community.