The Malatesta Temple is a church dedicated to St. Columba and the Cathedral of Rimini. The definition of Temple derives from its classical forms, and Malatesta because it was commissioned by Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Lord of Rimini from 1432 to 1462. To replace the pre-existing church of San Francesco, Sigismondo called upon the most illustrious Renaissance architect, Leon Battista Alberti, who was inspired by the Roman triumphal arch for the façade. He used marble from the Arch of Augustus (see point 2) and on the Istrian stone base he had garlands inserted with the Malatesta symbols: the elephant, the intertwined "I" and "S" (the initials of Sigismondo and Isotta, his wife), the double chequered band and Isotta’s flower. Before entering, visit the right side with seven arches housing the sarcophagi of the most illustrious figures of Sigismondo’s court. The interior, on the other hand, is Gothic with a single nave and six side chapels. It is worth visiting "The Chapel of the Planets" with the oldest image of Rimini and "The Chapel of the Ancestors" with "The Ark of the Ancestors and Descendants" sculpted by Agostino di Duccio. Here are housed the remains of the ancestors of the Malatesta family. The main works of art in the Cathedral are Giotto’s crucifix of 1312 and a fresco by Piero della Francesca depicting Sigismondo kneeling at the feet of St Sigismund.
