The Cattolica dei Greci, or Santa Maria della Cattolica dei Greci, is the oldest Christian institution in Reggio Calabria and stands between via Giudecca and via Aschenez, in the old quarter that recalls the city's once-large Jewish community.
What to see
The city's cathedral in the Byzantine period and later the Greek-rite co-cathedral after the arrival of the Normans, the church originally stood near what is now piazza Italia, between the Teatro Cilea and Palazzo Melissari-Musitano, until the earthquake of 1783 destroyed it; it was rebuilt in 1876 on its present site, slightly further east than the original, in neoclassical style to a design by the architect Antonino Pugliese. Damaged by the subsequent earthquake of 1908, the church was restored in the mid-20th century and reopened for worship on 25 March 1957.
The Greek-Byzantine community of Reggio is traditionally led by the protopapa, a position that has no longer been independent of the bishopric since 1818; the building, with a Latin-cross plan and three naves, holds a rich stucco decoration in the transept dome and, at the entrance, a gilded bronze portal by the Reggio sculptor Giuseppe Niglia, six metres tall and divided into eight panels recounting episodes from the life of the Virgin, from the Annunciation to the Assumption.
Visiting
The church is open for worship according to service times, worth checking before visiting.
Our editors' tip
Stop in front of the bronze portal before going in: Giuseppe Niglia's eight panels blend Mediterranean and northern European taste in an eclectic style that already hints, right at the threshold, at the layered history of this ancient church.
