DUOMO

The cathedral of Gerace, dedicated to the Assumption, represents the biggest religious building of all Calabria. It was built between the end of the Byzantine period and the first years of the Norman domination, according to the French architectural taste imported by the invaders. This jewel was consecrated for the first time in 1045 and again in 1222, in the presence of Frederick II. Despite some restorations over time, the magnificent structure has preserved the purity of its original lines.

The interior is divided into three naves by columns partly recovered from ancient sites (certainly near Locri). Through the northern transept, one descends into the crypt, with its Greek cross plan; it forms the oldest nucleus of the cathedral, since it is dated to the Byzantine period (8th century). Here too, the 26 columns were imported. In the crypt, the chapel of the Virgin Odigitria houses a marble statue of the Virgin, a work of the Pisa school (14th century); note the ornamentation in polychrome marble and stucco, the pavement in majolica from Gerace and the wrought iron gate. The crypt also houses, in the chapel of San Giuseppe, the diocesan museum that exhibits the Cathedral's Treasure, made up of precious vestments, silver objects of various kinds (chalices, carafes, statues, reliquaries) and of different periods (from the 14th to the 19th century). Its oldest piece is a 12th century staurotheque (reliquary containing a fragment of the True Cross), made of gold, precious stones and pearls.