Duomo Antico di Milazzo

The Duomo Antico stands inside the walled citadel of Milazzo. Built during the seventeenth century, it served as the town’s principal church until the Duomo Nuovo opened in the lower town in 1937. Its masonry, dome and altars preserve the history of the church within the fortress.

Why it matters

The old cathedral was built on a plateau within the citadel, replacing an earlier church of Santa Maria. Construction began in the early seventeenth century and continued through the century. The church was dedicated to Santo Stefano in 1678 and served as Milazzo’s cathedral until the opening of the new cathedral in 1937.

What to notice

The façade is built with pilasters of Syracuse stone and includes a statue of the Madonna and Child. The church has a central dome without a drum, flanked by four smaller cupolas. Inside are several altars and a fresco of the Noli me tangere. Beneath the choir, the Oratorio del Santissimo Sacramento served the archconfraternity from 1616 to 1861.

Context and history

Municipal sources date the start of construction to either 1607 or 1608. Work was directed from about 1615 by Giuseppe Gasdia of Palermo, and the sacristy was completed between 1698 and 1704. The bell tower’s upper section collapsed in the early twentieth century. After the Duomo Nuovo opened in 1937, the old cathedral gradually fell out of use. A municipal exhibition in 2005 presented coins and other archaeological finds in the sacristy.