The Church of Santa Lucia, in Renaissance style, stands in the centre of Reggio Calabria, on via XXV Luglio, and is preceded by a grand staircase giving access from via De Nava.
What to see
The parish of Santa Lucia was founded by archiepiscopal decree on 10 April 1629 by Archbishop Annibale D'Afflitto; its boundaries were extended in 1783 by Monsignor Capobianco, and from 1798 it was considered an urban parish. The present church, with three naves, was only built in 1930, to a design by the Carmelite father Cesare Umberto Angelini.
By the main altar stands a sculptural group by Michele di Raco depicting the glorification of Saint Lucy, harmoniously set within the large apse mosaic created by the artist Gisa D'Ortona; in a niche of the side nave is kept an old wooden statue of the saint, surrounded by a precious mosaic and bas-reliefs narrating her life and martyrdom.
Visiting
The church is open for worship according to service times, worth checking before visiting.
Our editors' tip
Climb the grand staircase from via De Nava before going in, and pause to notice how the building, despite its Renaissance style, is actually a 20th-century construction: a reminder of how much the post-earthquake reconstruction continued to look to the past.
