The Church of San Francesco di Paola stands in the Catona district of Reggio Calabria, linked since its origins to the history of the Minim convent that once stood beside it.
What to see
The first church was built in 1629, when Catona was still an independent municipality; severely damaged by the catastrophic earthquake of 1783, it was later rebuilt, but the suppression of religious orders forced the Minim friars to abandon the convent. After a congregation was founded in the conventual church, the building was rebuilt on its present site in 1875, only to be destroyed again by the earthquake of 1908; replaced for about two decades by a simple wooden shed, the present church was rebuilt starting in 1928.
The building, with three naves in Romanesque style, has a plain façade preceded by a small hanging loggia and a flight of steps; above the main portal are a mosaic depicting the church's patron saint and a large rose window, while the bell tower, with mullioned windows and a pyramidal roof, rises over the neighbourhood. Inside, among other works, is a painting by the contemporary Calabrian artist Giuseppe Mainieri.
Visiting
The church is open for worship according to service times, worth checking before visiting.
Our editors' tip
Look up at the bell tower from the foot of the entrance steps: from there the contrast between the Romanesque mullioned windows and the façade's rose window comes through best, two different languages telling the story of the church's many reconstructions over the centuries.
