The Basilica Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior (Santissimo Salvatore) was designed by engineer Enzo D'Amore of the archiepiscopal technical office under Archbishop and Archimandrite Angelo Paino. Construction began in 1928 and concluded in 1932, leading to the church's official opening on May 6, 1933. The complex was erected to provide a new home for the historic Archimandritate after the catastrophic 1908 earthquake destroyed its 16th-century monastery near the Peloro beach. Between 1943 and 1946, during the Second World War, it functioned as Messina's acting cathedral while the main Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta was restored following wartime bombardment. Archbishop Francesco Fasola formally consecrated the church on May 30, 1964.
What to see
The 20th-century complex encompasses the co-cathedral church alongside the Domenico Savio Salesian Institute. The present landmark inherits the lineage of a monastic institution established in the late 11th century by Count Roger I at the harbor spit of Lingua Phari, later designated in 1130 as the seat of the Basilian Archimandrite under Abbot Luca I. Although earlier historic art treasures—such as Deodato Guinaccia's 16th-century painting of the Transfiguration and 18th-century decorative cycles by Giovanni Tuccari—were lost or damaged during the 1908 earthquake, the modern structure represents the ongoing legacy of an institution once headed by figures including Cardinal Basilio Bessarione.
Visiting
The co-cathedral serves as an active house of worship within the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela and forms part of the Domenico Savio Salesian center. It continues to hold full official co-cathedral status alongside Messina's principal cathedral.
Our editors' tip
To trace the physical lineage of the Archimandritate across Messina, visit the site of its second historic complex near the Annunziata stream, which was destroyed in 1908 and is now occupied by the Regional Museum of Messina.