The Cathedral of Catanzaro stands on the site of the first cathedral, built in 1121 in Norman times and dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and the Apostles Peter and Paul. It has undergone several renovations over the centuries: the first one in ‘500. Severely damaged by the earthquake of 1638, it was rebuilt in the 19th century in neoclassical style; damaged by bombardments and looting during the Second World War, in 1955 the complete renovation began.
Today the architectural layout of the Cathedral of Catanzaro has three beautiful bronze doors on the main facade and three on the side that overlooks Piazza Duomo; on the right is the bell tower 42 meters high, surmounted by the bronze statue of the Assumption. Inside the Cathedral of Catanzaro you can admire the Madonna of the Angels with Child, of the Messina school of 1595, the bust of S. Vitaliano, current patron saint of the city, placed in the chapel and, in the apse, a painting of the Assumption of the 18th century.
Behind the Cathedral of Catanzaro is the Church of the Rosary, also known as the Church of S. Domenico, consecrated in 1499 and renovated in the following century. It is accessed by a wide staircase in front of the facade rebuilt after the earthquake. Inside, with a single nave, there are the stucco decorations typical of the Calabrian Baroque and the statues on the pillars that separate the naves from the transept. Among these stands out the Madonna della Purità of 1613 by Francesco Cassano, while in the transept on the left you can appreciate the Madonna del Rosario, a panel by the Flemish D. Hendrickzs.
