Duomo di Crotone

Crotone Cathedral is a layered religious monument whose origins are traditionally placed in the ninth century and whose present form reflects a sixteenth-century rebuilding.

Why it matters

The cathedral connects Crotone's Christian history with the ancient sanctuary at Capo Colonna. A Byzantine-style icon of the Madonna di Capo Colonna remains the focus of a long-standing local devotion.

What to notice

The neoclassical facade has three portals and is flanked by a bell tower. The interior has three aisles divided by pillars, a thirteenth-century zoomorphic baptismal font and a seventeenth-century wooden choir. The Madonna di Capo Colonna icon is kept in a chapel at the end of the right aisle. Bronze doors were installed in 1986.

Context and history

The church was originally dedicated to San Dionigi and rededicated to the Assumption around 1462–1463. Bishop Antonio Lucifero led a major rebuilding in the sixteenth century, using stone from the temple of Hera Lacinia at Capo Colonna. Later restorations shaped the present interior and neoclassical facade. In 1983 the church was raised to the rank of minor basilica.