MONASTERO DEL PATIRE

The monastic complex of Santa Maria del Patire was built around 1095 by San Bartolomeo di Sìmeri (1050-1130), and became famous thanks to its scriptorium, of which hundreds of codices are kept in the Vatican. Although the cloister and the bell tower are in ruins, the church remains well preserved and has an exterior decoration of stone and terracotta. Its floor was entirely covered with mosaics: medallions decorated with zoomorphic figures remain in the first bays. It is one of the most beautiful Byzantine buildings in Calabria.