Catanzaro boasts about sixty churches between the center and the suburbs, of which 34 are parish churches. There are also chapels, convents, and oratories, some

IMMACULATE BASILICA         

Prefecture Square   
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception stands on the remains of an ancient church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity in the year 1100, one of the oldest to first follow the Latin rite. Later, the structure of the convent of St. Francis of Assisi with the Minor Conventual Friars was added next to it, probably built around 1250. Specifically, some documents trace the birth of the Archconfraternity from the year the church was founded up to the present day. In the mid-1600s, the plague also spread to Catanzaro and the faithful invoked a vow to the Immaculate Virgin, who thus became the Patron Saint of the city, together with St. Vitaliano. This place of worship was considered important by Kings Charles II in 1635 and Charles III, the latter visiting Catanzaro in 1735. Both declared it a “Royal Chapel.” However, due to the precarious architectural conditions, it was decided to demolish the old structure in 1750 and build a larger church based on a design by Father Antonio Matalona, architect and engineer. On December 6, 1763, it was reopened to the public and blessed by the bishop, Mons. De Cumis. Renovations and modifications were carried out throughout the 19th century, while at the beginning of the 20th century it was decided to add two side aisles to the central nave. The new dome is surmounted by a small cupola and has eight large windows separated by Corinthian pilasters with frescoes by painters Antonio and Felice Fiore from Sambiase, the crown of angels is the work of Andrea Cefaly (Cortale 27/8/1827 - 4/4/1907), while the new façade is the work of engineer Parisi. The church was given the title of Minor Basilica in 1954, aggregated to that of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome and in 1998 that of Diocesan Marian Sanctuary by Archbishop Mons. A. Cantisani. (Lauria PZ - November 2, 1926 - Catanzaro, July 1, 2021) The façade is characterized by two pairs of twin columns and a side one with Doric capitals arranged on two levels and surmounted, centrally in the lower register, by a broken pediment. In the space between the columns there are four empty semicircular niches, the two higher ones decorated inside with finely worked shells. Above the portal is the coat of arms bearing the monogram of the Immaculate and the curved window with glass depicting the Virgin Mary with the inscription “QUASI AURORA CONSUREGENS.” In the pediment is the relief, made by the sculptor Ottavio Colosimo (Catanzaro 1881 - Argentina 1958), “The Immaculate Virgin” among clouds and cherubs. On the left, the three-story bell tower completes the façade. Also by Ottavio Colosimo is the relief above the rear exit overlooking Via Cesare Gironda Veraldi. The work, the Immaculate with little angels, is composed inside a rectangular band with a terminal, entirely occupied by putti arranged in a row and leaning against each other, while in the center, the Madonna emerges from the delimited space and leans against the wall for half her figure. The interior of the Basilica has a longitudinal plan. The main altar from 1775 is in polychrome marble and the two side altars are dedicated: the one on the left to the Immaculate Virgin, represented by a wooden statue, dressed in a silk robe with silver and gold embroidery, dating from the late 16th to early 17th century, while the altar on the right is dedicated to St. Vitaliano with a wooden statue from 1857, recently placed in the sacristy and in its place the silver bust from the Cathedral, closed for renovations. The eight chapels arranged on both sides preserve as many 19th-century altars in polychrome marble with stucco pediments that have statues of Saints in the niches, some from the 18th century from the destroyed church of Santa Caterina. On the first pillar to the left of the entrance is the wooden Crucifix dating from the 17th century and on the opposite side the statue of St. Michael the Archangel, a work from the 18th century. At the end of the right side aisle is the commemorative plaque of King Ferdinand’s visit in 1852. At the sides and below the altar of the Immaculate Virgin are the Scarabattoli (box p.48,49), containing wax works from the early 18th century by Sister Caterina de Julianis, representing the Nativity, the Deposition, the visit of the Magi, and the Death.

THE CATHEDRAL                                     
Piazza Duomo
(N.B. currently closed for renovations)  
The Cathedral is the main place of worship in the city, as well as the seat of the Archdiocese of Catanzaro Squillace. Its creation is owed to Goffredo di Loritello, Count of Catanzaro, and its consecration to the Blessed Virgin Assumed and Saints Peter and Paul in 1121 to Pope Callistus II. Several renovations were added to the Norman construction, including that of 1309, when Count Pietro Ruffosi was responsible for the construction of the Chapel of San Vitaliano, corresponding to one of the entrances of the building, called the elm door, and in 1588, opposite it, the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament was built, thanks to which the Cathedral took on the shape of a Latin cross. The last major change, after those caused by earthquakes, occurred after the destruction of a large part of the structure due to the bombings of August 1943. It was completely renovated in 1960 by architects Vincenzo Fasolo and Franco Domenico with the three-arched portico covering the side entrance, the construction of the drum and dome, the Baptistery built in place of the bell tower, which was rebuilt at the main entrance with a pyramid-shaped top crowned by the bronze statue of the Assumption by Giuseppe Rito (Dinami, VV April 20, 1907 - April 26, 1963). The usual entrance became the side one, characterized by a portico closed by a gate. At the far right is the marble statue of Our Lady of Graces by Tommaso Montano from 1595, coming from the Monastery of Santa Chiara, a gift from the sisters Beatrice and Carmela Morano, as indicated by the dating in the inscription beside the base, which on the front depicts the Morano family crest, while on the other side, also in relief, is the Eucharistic miracle of Saint Clare. The interior spaces of the new Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta maintain, from an architectural and urbanistic point of view, the orientation and grandeur of the previous construction, with a fresh and bright style, thanks to the fine marbles, large windows, and the presence of paintings, stuccoes, decorations, and coffered ceilings on the nave walls. The bronze doors at the entrance under the side portico, representing the Beatitudes, the Jubilee, and the Eucharist, and at the central entrance of the main façade, Hope, by the Neapolitan sculptor Eduardo Filippo from 1993, and those of the side entrances Sanguinis Effusione and Ecclesia Sanctorum Mater by Giuseppe Farina, date back to the Jubilee of 2000. The interior, with a longitudinal plan with three naves and the central one higher, has on the pillars the 14 stations of the bronze Via Crucis, the work of sculptor Alessandro Monteleone (Taurianova, RC, February 5, 1897 - Rome, December 25, 1967), while along the central nave there are ten paintings of the patron and co-patron saints, the four Evangelists in the sails under the dome, and the Holy Trinity in the Royal arch, the work of Lorenzo Jovino from Salerno. On the right on the counter-façade is the plaque from 1538 commemorating the visit of Pope Callistus II. The altars are in marble and in the right side nave at the first altar is a painted copy of Our Lady of Help, at the second altar is the painting of The Holy Family by Domenico Augimeri (Palmi, RC February 23, 1834 - Palmi, February 8, 1911) from 1834, the third chapel, called the Penitentiary, without an altar, preserves the large oil on canvas altarpiece, originally placed at the High Altar, depicting the Assumption of Mary from 1750, commissioned by the then bishop Ottavio da Pozzo. Below is the statue Dormitio Virginis from the early 18th century in a glass case in a supine position with pillows, covered with an embroidered silk dress; the fourth altar is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, which houses the modern oil on canvas painting of the Heart of Mercy. The left side of the church is characterized by the presence of the polygonal Baptistery made of modern marble with the baptismal font in the center and the large mosaic depicting Jesus receiving baptism, a copy from Mattia Preti. Next are the three side entrances of the external portico and the chapel of San Vitaliano, with its silver bust attributed to the Neapolitan silversmith Gilberto Lelio from the 16th century, the relics of San Fortunato and Sant’Ireneo, former Patron Saints of the Byzantine city with busts carved in wood and covered in pure gold of southern manufacture from the 18th century. The high altar is placed vertically under the dome, made from a marble table, surmounted by the large modern mosaic reproducing the Assumption, a copy from Titian. Some sacred vestments, dating from the second half of the 17th century to the first half of the 20th century, as well as the rich silverware, consisting of liturgical furnishings dating from the 18th to the 20th centuries, are on display to the public at nearby Via dell’Arcivescovado, 27 at the MUDAS Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, where in the atrium are also placed the baroque marble remains, precious surviving artifacts testifying to the artistic quality that decorated the Cathedral before the Anglo-American bombings. 

MOST HOLY MARY 

OF MOUNT CARMEL      
Piazza F. Fiorentino 
Located in the Grecia district in the same place where the church of Santa Maria di Cataro of the Greek rite once stood, destroyed by the earthquake of 1783. It was built in 1720 next to the Carmelite convent, which had arisen years earlier, in 1602, and was then suppressed in 1809. In 1740 the church became a parish, while the Archconfraternity, founded in 1630, still today works for the community and uses the 18th-century Oratory, with its own entrance and reopened to the public on May 14, 1998. In the years following the Second World War, the façade underwent significant transformations along with the bell tower, and in the center, instead of a fresco, it was covered with travertine slabs in horizontal bands. There is a bell tower with a square section, surmounted by an octagonal belfry. The church has a longitudinal plan with a large choir and a single nave; the presbytery is large and deep and houses a painting depicting Our Lady of Mount Carmel handing the scapular to Saint Simon Stock (July 16, 1251). The apse is delimited by an arch decorated with stuccoes that houses a large wooden altar with decorative carvings. There are seven side chapels that host masonry altars, from the late Baroque and Rococo periods, dedicated to Carmelite Saints, four adorned with paintings, while the other three house the statues of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, the Sacred Heart of Jesus in papier-mâché, and the statue of Our Lady of Graces, sculpted from a block of stone. Other statues present in the church are: the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with a very ancient Catanzaro silk dress embroidered in gold, Our Lady of Sorrows together with the statue of the Dead Christ, both carried during the traditional Naca procession, which takes place every Good Friday in Catanzaro in rotation with other congregations in the city. Entering from the main door, on the right is a chapel that houses the papier-mâché statue of the Holy Doctors Cosmas and Damian, unique in the city. A valuable recently restored work: the Ecce Homo, a wax work attributed to Caterina De Julianis. There is also a black pall, a funeral drape in black velvet, embroidered in gold, of fine Catanzaro craftsmanship. The Oratory of the Carmine, together with the church and the convent, is an integral part of the complex, with a single hall dominated by the large prioral chair, and wooden stalls in three rows arranged along the side walls, ending with the Holy Arch, decorated with Rococo stuccoes. The latter closes the choir, in the center of which is the large carved and gilded wooden altar, where the statue of the Virgin of Carmel is placed.
 

MONTECORVINO OR OF 
SANTA MARIA DE FIGULIS  

Via Sensales  
Dedicated to the Nativity of the Madonna. Dating back to between the 13th and 14th centuries, it takes the name of S. Maria de Figulis due to the activity of the potters, who worked in the neighborhood in medieval times and are believed to have been the ones who built the church. Initially consecrated under the title of Maria delle Grazie, it was later renamed Montecorvino, because of the many crows that at certain times of the year nested in the trees around the church. Once, the rectangular-plan structure faced southwest, typical of Eastern religious buildings. This confirms the traditions of Greek origin, later Latinized. In 1858, the parish priest Cesare Pucci decided to modify it, bricking up the old door facing east, and adding a small sacristy with the entrance on the opposite side. The original wooden vault was also destroyed, so the plan became octagonal, incorporated into a rectangular plan. The dome is also octagonal with as many wedge-shaped sections with various paintings by Nicola and Domenico Pignatari. The facade is neoclassical in inspiration and the entrance portal has an architrave and is surmounted by a lunette; inside there is a terracotta panel depicting the Nativity of the Virgin, where an inscription is engraved: “D.O.M. AC NASCENTI SACRUM”. The main altar has two small columns and in the center of a niche is the statue of the Child Madonna, considered the protector of pregnant women and children, especially venerated on September 8th with a special celebration, probably originating in the church of Jerusalem around the 5th century, when the tradition of the house of Mary, born in the house of Joachim and Anne, was alive. In past times, offerings were made for poor girls who had no money to get married. This act of generosity was called “maritaggio”.
 

MONTE DEI MORTI 

AND OF MERCY   
Via Educandato   
The reference to Monte did not mean a hill, but in this case an accumulation of goods, the collection of offerings destined for the cult of the dead, who were once buried in churches. All this happened around 1630 thanks to some nobles of the city with the Pious Association and the offices and an Oratory. Don Ignazio Marincola, the first rector of the church, in the year 1706, realized that the Chapel was no longer sufficient and worked to obtain funding for the construction of a new one. The work continued with the second Rector, Don Antonio Senatore, then concluded in 1739 and the church was inaugurated by Bishop Ottavio del Pozzo. Don Emanuele Grimaldi, rector from 1764, contributed to the final arrangement of the church with the completion of the altars, the modification of the internal covering and, in the center, five years later, had the glory of St. Philip Neri and the four sails painted by the painter Giovanni Spadea, depicting the four Evangelists. In the premises annexed to the church, the Capuchin Friars Minor found accommodation, to whom the care of the Monte della Misericordia was entrusted with a bull of April 30, 1892 by Bishop De Riso, but they have not been present since 31/8/2020. The Baroque-style portal of the 18th century, carved in stone, does not go unnoticed, and is surmounted by a large window, above which there is a skull and a niche, which houses a statue of the Madonna with an inscription: Sancta Maria, Mater Miserordiae, erga animasdefuncatorum. Inside there are two oval oil paintings, St. Francis Xavier, Jesuit and missionary, and St. Ignatius of Loyola of the Society of Jesus, once present in Catanzaro in the former convent of the current Convitto Galluppi. On 4/11/1924, two plaques bearing 178 names of Catanzaro's fallen during the First World War were placed on the facade, on either side of the portal. The church has a Greek cross plan (a cross formed by four arms of equal length), inscribed in a square. In the presbytery, the High Altar is dedicated to the Souls of Purgatory, and is surmounted by a pediment containing a painting of the Holy Trinity with the Madonna and the Souls of Purgatory. Inside there are four side chapels, two of which form the transept. In the right transept, the altar of the Immaculate Madonna and to its left a niche with the Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the left transept, the Altar of St. Anthony and to the right the statue of the Madonna with the Souls in Purgatory and St. Francis and St. Anthony. On either side of the entrance are the other two chapels: on the right that of the Crucifix; on the left, the canvas of St. Mary of the Angels, belonging to the former convent of the Capuchin Friars, now the Pepe barracks. The latter depicts the Madonna surrounded by Angels, with St. Francis and St. Bonaventure, respectively on the right and left, and in the center St. Michael the Archangel; the painting is signed Joannes De lo Prete, 1642. The chapel on the right was once dedicated to St. Vitaliano, whose painting was recently recovered from the hermitage of Reggio Calabria and is now in the Marca Museum, made by the painter Vitaliano Alfì, 1746. It depicts St. Vitaliano kneeling and at his feet the image of the city. In the center is the tombstone of the servant of God, Nuccia Tolomeo, Blessed on 3/10/2021.

SANT’ANGELO DE SICLIS  
Largo Sant’Angelo 
The first historical document mentioning this church dates back to the year 1267, when it followed the Greek rite. During the period of greatest development of the silk art, it took the title of S. Angeli Malfitanorum until 1540 due to the presence of Amalfitans who came to the city for the textile trade. In 1524, when the Jews were expelled from Calabria and the entire Kingdom of Naples, including those from the Giudecca quarter in Catanzaro, the Amalfitans decided to move to the Jewish quarter, while Sicilian dyers, attracted by the silk trade, arrived in the Sant’Angelo district, and the church changed its name from S. Angeli Malfitanorum to “de Siclis.” After the 1783 earthquake, the church suffered damage and its spiritual activity was suspended and entrusted to the parish of San Giorgio, which had long since ceased to exist. The church was reopened in the 19th century after restoration by the Marincola family. It is modest in size and has a rectangular single-nave plan and, like many other churches in Catanzaro from the same period, shows traces of a side entrance. Inside, there is an altarpiece depicting Saint Michael the Archangel, attributed to the painter Domenico Antonio Colelli, and on the side walls, two niches on each side housing four statues.

SAINT FRANCIS OF PAOLA   

Corso G. Mazzini  
This church is linked to the cult of Saint Francis of Paola and stands on the San Trifone hill, known as San Rocco hill. He was born in Paola (Cosenza) in 1416 to elderly parents, devoted to Saint Francis of Assisi, who attributed the birth of their child to the intercession of the Saint. Hence the name and the desire to guide him towards the religious life of the Franciscan order and the hermit life. Following the repetition of some miracles and the continuous manifestation of his deep religiosity, convents under the Order of Minims sprang up everywhere. The convent of the Minims Fathers in Catanzaro was founded in 1572, while the church's construction began in 1577 and was completed in 1581. Heavily damaged by the earthquakes of 1638 and 1783, it was later restored until it assumed its current late eighteenth-century layout. The cult of Saint Barbara was transferred to the church of Saint Francis after the damage caused by the 1783 earthquake. The convent along with the church of Saint Francis were put up for sale and purchased by the entrepreneur Tommaso Pudia, to build housing. Faith diverted him from his initial project and he reconsidered, deciding to return it to the community, even improving it. The façade dates back to the end of the eighteenth century and is surmounted by a pediment decorated with friezes and two Corinthian capitals (decorated with acanthus leaves), while the interior has a single nave plan, flanked by two chapels on each side. The main altar dates back to the early twentieth century and is in Gothic style and in the center features a niche with the statue of Saint Francis. In the right side chapels there is a small Baptistery and the altar dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, while the altars on the left contain the wooden statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette and Saint Barbara. On the sides of the nave two paintings: the Madonna of the Letter and Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane or in the orchard, an eighteenth-century painting. The convent of the Minims Fathers of Saint Francis of Paola was suppressed by the Murat decree of 1809. Subsequently, the building was completely transformed and today it is the Ruggero-Raffaeli palace, divided into several housing units.

SS. JOHN THE BAPTIST     AND EVANGELIST            
P.zza G. Garibaldi
It was initially built around 1532 on the ruins of the castle and with its remains, after much of the fortress was destroyed by the people, who had rebelled against Count Centelles. It stands on the Castle Hill, the highest of the three hills. It was dedicated to Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist as it was affiliated with the Roman Basilica of St. John Lateran. The Teresian Fathers, also known as Discalced Carmelites, founded the convent in 1663, located at the rear, which was later suppressed in 1807 and their community transferred to Naples, while the structure was converted into a hospital and then a prison. Following the collapse of a wall, which caused the death of a passing family from Catania on January 5, 1970, it was completely demolished. In 1735 King Charles III, during a visit to Catanzaro, conferred upon the Brothers of the Church of St. John the title of Knights of Malta and thus it assumed the title of Royal Archconfraternity of Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist of the Knights of Malta ad Honorem in Catanzaro. It became a parish in 1834 with the transfer of the cult of St. George, whose small church had been destroyed by the earthquake of 1832. With restorations in recent years, between 1998 and 1999, a necropolis was rediscovered under the foundations, consisting of burials and highlighted in part with glass slabs on the floor. The external façade has a double ellipsoidal staircase from 1877 due to the lowering of the road level of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, now Corso Mazzini. The main entrance door is from the 17th century, bordered on the sides by two columns of green Gimigliano stone, while above is a niche with the statue of St. John the Baptist, made in Naples in 1632 and attributed to Giandomenico Monterosso, and even higher up appears a rose window with colored glass featuring the cross of Malta. The interior has a longitudinal plan with a single nave in the shape of a Latin cross, covered by a vaulted ceiling with lunettes, where there are large windows bearing the symbol of the cross of Malta. It is decorated with frescoes, painted in 1910 by the Crotone painter Sesto Bruno with scenes from the life of the Baptist (the preaching of St. John and the Baptism of Christ) and scenes from the life of St. John the Evangelist (the apocalypse). The four Evangelists, on the other hand, are the work of the Catanzaro painter Attilio Armone and date back to the early 1900s. Above the main altar is a crucifix and in the right transept the altar of St. John and in the left one the Madonna del Carmelo. The side chapels are three on each side. The interior is enriched by several paintings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the canvas of the Madonna of Constantinople in the choir; the canvas of the Immaculate from the 1600s and the Ecstasy of St. Teresa and that of St. Francis Xavier from the 1700s in the transept; the canvas of the Madonna del Carmine and the Salus Populi Romani between Saints Vitaliano and John the Evangelist from the 18th century in the chapel of St. George. The most precious are the two paintings of the Patron Saints of the Archconfraternity, a gift from Pope Clement VIII to the Sodality, namely Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist attributed to the School of the Carracci.

SANTA MARIA 

DEL MEZZOGIORNO       
Via S.Maria Mezzoggiorno
Originally dedicated at the beginning of its construction to Our Lady of the Assumption, who is celebrated every year on August 15th and, until the 1990s, was accompanied by a small nighttime procession from the neighborhood to the church. It dates back to between the 9th and 11th centuries, at the time of the first foundation of Catanzaro, and is therefore one of the oldest. It is located on the edge of a sheer cliff, overlooking the Fiumarella valley from above, offering a stunning panorama. The altar faces south, which is why it was named the church of S. Maria di Mezzogiorno. In the early years of its construction until the end of the 1600s, it was home to the Archconfraternity of St. Michael the Archangel and had four chapels, which were lost along with their altars. Following the bombings of 1943, the external façade was rebuilt, the sacristy was constructed, and a bell tower was added. On the external wall and in front of the entrance, there is still today a beautiful fresco by the Catanzaro painter Gioacchino Lamanna, which recalls the legend of an apparition of a lady, later identified as the Madonna, who gives to the poor people of the area. The structure has a rectangular floor plan and a single nave. The seventeenth-century altar pediment, located at the end of the presbytery, is from the seventeenth century and is made of polychrome marble, green stone from Gimigliano, and features a nineteenth-century tabernacle door depicting the Good Shepherd, the work of the Neapolitan silversmith Gennaro Iaccarino. In the following years, interior work included the creation of a choir loft, made of wood with fine inlays, where a nineteenth-century organ is placed. On the main altar, commissioned by Don Camillo in 1927, stands the statue of the Madonna with Child from the seventeenth century, crowned with a silver diadem in 1797. In 1991, Archbishop Mons. Cantisani elevated it to a Marian Sanctuary in perpetuum. After 200 years, the faithful donated gold crowns to the Child and the Madonna, works by the Catanzaro artist V. Cosentino.

SANTA MARIA DE PLATEIS 
IN SANT’ANNA                 
 Via V. De Grazia
It stands on the ancient street of the Coppolari, today Via V. De Grazia, and does not escape, even though small, the eye of the visitor. The title belonged to an ancient church from 1530 dedicated to Santa Maria de Plateis located in Piazza Prefettura, later damaged by the 1783 earthquake and suppressed. The current church was built in 1740 by the will of Giovanbattista Grimaldi and his wife Chiara Sculco as an act of faith. Saint Anne is the Patron Saint of women in labor, so much so that it is customary to place blue or pink ribbons at the foot of the main altar as votive offerings. The floor plan is rectangular with a window at the top where a small bell tower and a Jerusalem cross, an ancient symbol of Eastern Christians, are placed. The interior has a single nave and in the center the main altar is dedicated to Saint Anne, with a late Baroque gable and the bust of Saint Anne and the Child Madonna, a work by the sculptor Vincenzo Pignatari. A second altar on the left side is dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin Mary at the Temple. There are two paintings by the Catanzaro painter Garibaldi Gariani, one depicting the Presentation of the Virgin Mary at the Temple and the other the Madonna and Child. The entrance is protected by a wrought iron gate from the Neapolitan school of the 19th century. The portal is surmounted by a neo-Gothic window. In recent years, a stele has been placed on the external facade dedicated to Sister Maria Barba, servant of God of the Carmelite Order, who was baptized in this church in January 1884.
 

S. MARIA DELLE GRAZIE 
OR OF SAINT TERESA 
DELL’OSSERVANZA        
 Piazza Osservanza
The church and the convent, located outside the old city walls, next to the convent of the Observant Fathers, of the order of St. Francis of Assisi, whose first rule is observance. Tradition has it that they arose on the very spot where there was once a chapel dedicated to the Madonna della Ginestra, painted on the central panel of a polyptych by Antonello de Saliba of Messina; today only the central part is preserved in the Marca museum, while the two side parts have been lost. The construction of the church is owed to Friar Paolo da Sinopoli, then vicar of the Province of Catanzaro, while Count Centelles opposed it because it was outside the central perimeter and blocked the work. When the tyrant fled Catanzaro due to an uprising by the citizens, who destroyed part of the castle, the remaining ruins were used for the construction of this church and that of San Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista. The work on the church, begun in 1447, was completed in 1457. In 1548, Friar Michele de Angioi donated to the church of his confreres some relics of the Passion, obtained during a trip to Jerusalem. Thanks to his project, a chapel dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre was added to the church, of which today only a crucifix from 1535 remains. Under the episcopate of Monsignor Bernardo de Riso, in 1892 the church was elevated to a parish and, after the demolition of the little church of Santa Teresa of the Teresian convent, the title of the latter was assumed by the new parish and thus its name changed to Santa Teresa all’Osservanza. The interior is characterized by late Baroque decoration that stands out in the stuccoes of the domes, the vaults and the capitals, and by the Franciscan coat of arms, preceded by an oval frescoed with Saints Anthony of Padua and Francis of Assisi. It houses a painting depicting the ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Avila. In the center of the aedicule in the presbytery is a marble sculpture of the Madonna delle Grazie from 1504 by Antonello Gagini. Another sculpture is the Mystery of the Passion with the un-nailed crucifix (box at the side), a work by Friar Giovanni da Reggio dating back to the mid-17th century, and below it the wooden statue of the Madonna della Salute. The convent followed a different path: in 1812 it was suppressed, reopened two years later by the Court of Appeal until 1822. Between 1827 and 1832, repair work was carried out for the lodgings of the Austrian cavalry, but on February 27, 1865, it passed to the Military Branch. After the suspension of this last use in more recent times and, after various restoration works, at the end of 2022 the structure became the seat of the Prosecutor's Office.

S. MARIA DELLA STELLA   
Via Guglielmo Pepe  
The construction of the church and convent dates back to between 1585 and 1588, under the bishopric of Nicolò Orazi and the pontificate of Sixtus V. Shortly after its construction, the small parish took the name of the Stella district. It was damaged by the 1783 earthquake and the convent was suppressed between 1815 and 1822, then closed to worship and the two buildings passed to state property. The church reopened thanks to Mons. Cantisani in 1999. The façade features a portal with two columns and capitals, above which is a large window and on the sides two small bell towers. The interior has a single nave and the altar is in Baroque style, made of wood with silver and gold leaf. The organ dates back to the 18th century with gilded components and paintings of flowers. Thanks to restoration work, the church was expanded with six arches, under each of which an altar was placed, all surmounted by wooden pediments with gilded columns. On the left, in the three altars, there are three large paintings: St. Michael the Archangel, the Deposition from the Cross, and the last is that of the Immaculate Virgin. On the right, three other paintings: Our Lady of the Rosary, which bears red wax seals affixed at the time of Murat, the Holy Family, which is the only lost copy by Mattia Preti, and next the painting of St. Francis of Assisi. There are other frescoes: the first, depicting Angels, placed at the height of the High Altar, the second depicting Saint Fara, who is celebrated on December 7, and a third dedicated to Stella Maris, all by G. Parentela from the 20th century. Attached to the church is the convent of S. Maria della Stella of the Order of the Capuchin Poor Clares, founded in 1585. In the past, it also served as a hospice for orphans and as evidence, the opening to the outside that served as a Wheel for anonymously depositing foundlings, that is, abandoned newborns, is still visible. Inside, the cloister is walled up or closed by glass and used as an inner courtyard where, in the center, stands the bronze statue of the Madonna by G. Rito. The convent became a female orphanage in 1822, then used as the seat of the Academy of Fine Arts and is now abandoned. The adjacent modern apartments where the nuns lived are now home to the Conservatory.
 

SANTA MARIA

D’OGNISSANTI 
OR OF SAN ROCCO             
Piazza Roma  
In 1562, the plague also spread to Catanzaro and the population sought help from the divine by raising public prayers, and one day, it is said, St. Roch appeared dressed as a pilgrim. He approached a craftsman from Catanzaro named Pignero Cimino who, infected by the disease, was dying. The pilgrim took an ointment from his backpack and anointed the chest and forehead of the poor dying man in the shape of a cross, who immediately recovered, then asked him to build a temple dedicated to St. Roch. Among the most fervent devotees was the aristocratic Catanzaro woman Guglielma De Cumis, who, having also been healed by the miraculous ointment, took action to build a convent for women, called San Rocco dell’Educanda, where she secluded herself with many other ladies from Catanzaro. The church, built inside the convent in honor of St. Roch and officiated by laypeople, disturbed the nuns due to the continuous flow of worshippers. For this reason, it was decided to build a new church in honor of St. Roch nearby, on the hill of St. Trifone, and when it was completed, it was enriched with a marble statue of the Saint above the main altar, where it is still preserved today. The new church took the title of San Rocco Minore or San Rocchello to distinguish it from the one in the women's convent. The entrance portal of the church, containing at the top a fresco of St. Roch and his dog, today only the face of the Saint is visible. The facade is simple and at the top of the central part there are three niches, a central colored stained glass window, while the other two are empty, a sign that they once contained statues. In the shrine on the side wall there is an icon depicting St. Lucy. The interior consists of a single nave; the main altar dates back to 1898, with the statue of St. Roch, attributed to Giovanni Domenico D’Auria, as previously mentioned. There are three chapels on each side, supported by four pilasters decorated with Corinthian-style capitals. In the first on the right there is a Crucifix and a painting of Our Lady of Sorrows from 1500; in the second there is a painting of St. Lucy and one of the souls in Purgatory; in the third, the altar of St. Lucy and in a niche her statue. On the left, in the first chapel, a painting of Our Lady of Pompeii and in the niches the statues of St. Joachim and St. Anne and that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The second is a secondary door with an inscription indicating the consecration of the church: DIVO ROCHO DICATUM. In the third chapel stands out a wooden altar and in a niche the statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The single nave vault features a painting of the old Porta di Mare, an ancient entrance to the city. As for the convent, it was suppressed in 1860, but the spiritual work remained active until 1860, when it became the headquarters of the Infantry Barracks "Soveria Mannella" and the Military District.

ST. MARY MAGDALENE OR OF ST. BLAISE               
L.go R. M. Cattaneo
It was built in 1560 under Pope Pius IV and the Bishop of Catanzaro Ascanio Geraldini. Later it was transformed into a Conservatory for Converts, as the Capuchin friar Tiberio da Milano converted twenty-two women of ill repute, hosting them for a period of time in the church itself, which is why the name of the monastery, built next to it, would become the Monastery of the Magdalene Converts. The church was consecrated on April 23, 1690 by Bishop Francesco Gori and Sister Domenica de Aznar, abbess of the monastery. Due to the damage suffered from the 1783 earthquake, it reopened in 1796 and acquired the title of San Biagio alla Maddalena, the name of an ancient little church located in the same area. The facade is in neoclassical style and the interior features an architectural structure typical of late sixteenth-century convent churches, with a single nave and two chapels on each side and a large presbytery, surmounted by a small dome. In the center is the main altar in polychrome marble from 1768, the work of the Neapolitans Silvestro and Giuseppe Troccoli. Above it is a niche with a papier-mâché statue of St. Blaise, in the act of healing a child in his mother's arms. Furthermore, in 1930, after renovation work, the church reopened to the public. The frescoes in the dome highlight the Choir of Angels and in the sails of the pillars supporting the dome, there are frescoes of St. Augustine, St. Thomas, St. Alphonsus, and St. Bernard, created by A. Grillo from Pizzo. As for the convent, suppressed in 1810, it was later subjected to some renovations and handed over to the Municipality in 1866 to be used for other purposes and, as its last use, it housed elementary schools.
 

ST. NICHOLAS                  
c/o Galleria Mancuso
It dates back to the 13th century, built by a farmer originally from Morano in the small parish of San Nicola Ustenci, and preserves stylistic-architectural elements linked to the time of its foundation. The exterior is raised on a double staircase due to the urban redevelopment project to lower the street level, designed by engineer Manfredi in 1870. The side entrance door, discovered during restoration work in 1990, was closed, and the front entrance was also modified; the original arched shape is still visible. The interior has a single hall with tuff stones, and the single-nave floor plan is rectangular with a deep original apse and two side aisles, now used as rooms. The vault is decorated with neoclassical trompe l’oeil frescoes, with some depictions dating back to the 1960s. In the center, St. Nicholas is depicted holding the Pastoral Staff and the Gospel Book in his left arm and three golden spheres. On the sides, there are four images of the miracles of St. Nicholas, telling how, when he was bishop of Myra, he took pity on three girls who were to be forced into prostitution by their father, and he saved them by giving them three bags of gold for their dowries. This is why the church is also known as the church of women. It preserves a wooden Crucifix from 1600 on the right side of the triumphal arch and, at the entrance, a 19th-century holy water font made of green stone from Gimigliano. But who was St. Nicholas? St. Nicholas was bishop of Myra in the 4th century. Little is known about his youth, so legends about him have grown over time, making this Saint the miracle worker par excellence, both in the Greek and Slavic East and in the Latin West. It is said that merchants from Bari kidnapped his body from Myra in 1087, bringing it to their homeland.

MOST HOLY ROSARY   
Piazza del Rosario    
The church, consecrated on May 21, 1499, was initially dedicated to the Annunziata. Next to it stands the convent of the Dominican Fathers, founded in 1401, the first in Calabria, with the Congregation headquarters of the Archconfraternity of the Most Holy Rosary in front, inaugurated on May 21, 1621. In their unique essence, regarding their constructional, historical, and religious aspects, they together form the Monumental Complex of the Most Holy Rosary of Catanzaro. The church has been renovated numerous times over the years, mainly due to damage caused by earthquakes, so much so that it had to remain closed for over half a century, from 1832 to 1891. It has a gabled façade in neoclassical style from the first half of the 19th century, emphasized in its grandeur by the wide staircase. The main entrance is surmounted by a large rectangular window and a pair of columns with an arch. On the sides, it is characterized by the presence of tall paired and single fluted pilasters with Corinthian capitals supporting the pediment with the large coat of arms of the Archconfraternity. The side entrance on the right, corresponding to the third chapel, is made of terrazzo with a double ramp and balustrade with small columns. The interior is longitudinal with a central nave and two side aisles interconnected with seven chapels, mostly built in the 19th century and in stucco, as are the lunetted vault and the dome. In the right side aisle is the first chapel with a painting of Vincenzo Ferrer from the 18th century; the second chapel has an altar base made of fine marbles from the 18th century and as an altarpiece the canvas of Dominican Saints and Blesseds in Glory by Giuseppe Castellano (Naples 1660 - Rome January 13, 1725); next is the side exit with only the stucco pediment surviving, bearing the canvas of St. Thomas Aquinas receiving the Girdle, also by Castellano from the early 18th century; following is the chapel of the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows, who wears a dress of Catanzaro plain blue velvet silk with pure gold decorations in Empire style from the 19th century. The left side aisle begins with the first chapel, which has in the niche the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in papier-mâché from Lecce and dating to the first half of the 20th century; the second chapel has the altarpiece on canvas of Dominican Saints and Blesseds in Glory, signed and dated Giuseppe Castellano 1702; the third chapel features the statue of Saint Liberata with an altar in stucco and marble from the 18th century, coming from the now disappeared Jesuit church; the fourth chapel has the altarpiece of The Martyrdom of St. Peter of Verona from 1719, a copy of the painting by Mattia Preti in Taverna. On the pillars, the Stations of the Cross, painted on tin from the 19th century, a copy by Luigi Sabatelli. At the end of the central nave, on the triumphal arch, is the polychrome relief of the Coat of Arms of the Archconfraternity of the Most Holy Rosary and two groups of flying Angels by Pasquale and Gaetano Fezza from 1770-1772. In front of the pillars are two marble statues: on the left, the Most Holy Savior, probably by Giovan Battista Mazzolo (Carrara, noted 1513-1550) from the 16th century, with the coat of arms of the noble Piterà family, probable donors, at the base; on the right, the Madonna of Purity from 1613 by Francesco Cassano (Naples 1594-1622). In the right transept is the altar in polychrome marbles of the Most Holy Name of Jesus from 1665, with the altarpiece of the same name, an oil on canvas signed by Biagio de Vico from the 18th century. The altar of the left transept is dedicated to the Madonna of the Most Holy Rosary from 1615 by the architect and stonemason Andrea Maggiore from Carrara. The altarpiece is the Madonna of the Rosary and Mysteries, a painting on cypress wood probably from the late 16th century. It depicts the vision of St. Dominic receiving the Rosary from the Madonna and Child, by Dirk Hendricksz, known as Teodoro d’Errico the Fleming (Amsterdam 1542/1544 - 1618). The high altar, which comes from the suppressed church of Santa Caterina, is the work of Silvestro and Giuseppe Troccoli from Naples, from the 18th century, made of polychrome marbles and mother-of-pearl. Inserted at the center of the pediment, between four monolithic columns of green Gimigliano marble, is the canvas of St. Dominic from the 18th century, a copy of the work from Soriano. At the far ends, two fluted white marble columns with pure gold decorations in Empire style from the 19th century. Each column supports a flying angel in wood holding a cornucopia, partly colored in pure gold, from the 18th century, coming from the suppressed church of Santa Caterina. In the Sacristy are kept: the wooden statue of the Blessing Child Jesus from the 18th century; the mannequin statue of the Madonna of the Rosary displayed to the faithful in May and October of the 19th century; a small display case decorated in silver and mecca containing the Madonna of Pompei by Vincenzo Pignatari; the oil painting on canvas of the Madonna of Victory from the 17th century, an important and original commemorative canvas of the Battle of Lepanto; the Portrait of Domenico Scaramuzzino, beggar and benefactor for the numerous and precious donations to the church, canvas signed and dated F. P. Pisani 1859. The church preserves various furnishings and liturgical vestments, which testify to the ancient art of Catanzaro silk with numerous types of fabrics ranging from the 16th to the 20th century, some of which were made by reusing the old dresses of noblewomen of the city, such as the candusce, the train no longer used as it was no longer fashionable in the 19th century. Among others, the precious liturgical vestment known as the Borgia from the 17th century and that of Saint Catherine of Siena in white canneté silk laminated in silver and richly embroidered, and in the figure of the saint in polychrome silk and finely decorated with various types of gold thread, from the 18th century, are preserved. Attached to the church is the convent of the Preaching Fathers, which has a quadrangular plan with a large central courtyard corresponding to the original cloister, which is now all walled up and barely visible except in some sections where large arches have emerged. Once suppressed, it was the seat of various bodies and offices, but today it houses the Laganà barracks. In front of the Dominican convent is the Congregation, headquarters of the Archconfraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. The plan is rectangular with a contemporary floor in green, pink, and black Calabrian marbles and white Carrara marble, made with the square module alternately divided with marbles of different colors. It has walnut carved wooden furnishings with three steps and a high back, called stalls; ornaments on the walls in stucco from 1683 with the high-relief coat of arms of the Sodality placed above the large Prior's Chair in wood and the mural paintings by Diego Grillo from the first half of the 20th century, depicting the Mysteries of the prayer of the Most Holy Rosary, many of which are copies of various artists, Pope Pius V in prayer, and the Vision of St. Dominic.

 

SANT’OMOBONO         
 Via F.  De Grazia, 15 
It is the oldest building in the city, in Byzantine-Norman style, linked to the Loritello family, built between 1130 and 1154, during which the Cathedral was also constructed. At the beginning, it was a place of justice and representation, arranged on two levels, with a chapel dedicated to San Salvatore on the upper floor. Only in the 14th century did it become a place of worship and was dedicated to Sant’Omobono, patron saint of tailors and cloth merchants, during a glorious period for the city of Catanzaro, at the height of its silk production. From the 17th to the 18th century, the building became the seat of the Confraternity of Tailors. During the French domination, between 1806 and 1815, the deconsecrated church was used as a munitions depot and continued to serve this purpose during the Bourbon period. After the hardships suffered by the population due to the 1823 earthquake, Mayor Gaetano Marincola decided to sell the structure and transfer it to a private individual, Luigi Varano, with a notarial deed dated August 21, 1827. In 1875, it underwent consolidation work following the lowering of the road surface, for which a staircase was created to access it. After 172 years, Monsignor Cantisani, then Archbishop of Catanzaro, decided to purchase the building and, thanks to the historian Emilia Zinzi, whom he appointed, ceramic artifacts, terracotta figurines, majolica, tiles dating from the 12th to the 17th centuries, some coins, and two tombs in the upper part of a wall to the northwest—previously already violated—were brought to light. Furthermore, Monsignor Cantisani also decided to reconsecrate it on December 19, 2002, with a special ceremony. The structure of the church consists of a single hall with a rectangular plan and six arches placed around the perimeter. The entrance is surmounted by an arch with a double row of ashlars, itself topped by a trifora (three-light window), now walled up. To the right of the entrance there is a blind single-light window. On the right side of the wall there are arches made of ashlars and bricks, interspersed with three single-light windows.