Tag: Rococo in Syracuse

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    Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the cathedral of Syracuse, located in Piazza Duomo, in the historical center of the city, on the Ortygia island. The cathedral incorporates parts of a Greek Doric temple dedicated to Athena, which was converted into a church with the advent of Christianity.   SHORT HISTORY During the 5th century BC, the first tyrant of Syracuse, Gelon, built on this site an imposing Doric temple dedicated to Athena, the ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom and warfare. With the advent of Christianity, the temple became the first Christian church in western Europe in the 7th century AD. The Byzantines made significant changes to the Christian structure and, later, the Muslims, after their conquest of Syracuse, transformed it into the main place of Islamic worship in the area. The church became a mosque, undergoing the changes that the Islamic cult required. With the Normans, the city rediscovered Christianity and, therefore, the building resumed its main role as a Syracusan Catholic church. The Normans rebuild the church and gave it a majestic but austere facade. During the terrible earthquake of 1693, that razed to the ground several cities in eastern Sicily, including Read more [...]