CATTOLICA

Situated on the heights of the town, near the castle, this charming little 10th century Byzantine church has been carefully and carefully restored. The name of the Cattolica of Stilo comes from the Greek term katholikon, meaning main church, either a monastery or a group of Basilian laurels. Entirely built in red brick, it has balanced and harmonious proportions, with a Greek cross plan within a square. It is surmounted by five domes on cylindrical drums, one on each arm of the cross, and a central dome supported inside by four columns. The cupolas are of equal diameter, but the central one is higher. The church has three apses of the same dimensions facing the east. These still bear traces of Byzantine frescoes with a Christ Pantocrator inside. The four columns have been recovered from ancient monuments: one bears an inscription in Greek; on another, an inscription in Arabic from the 11th century has been identified. The Cattolica of Stilo is similar to the religious buildings of the Peloponnese, Armenia, Georgia and Anatolia, and is perfectly similar to the churches of San Marco de Rossano and San Pietro d'Otranto, although certainly better preserved. It can therefore be appreciated as a testimony to the Calabrian Byzantine style that escaped the changes that took place during the Norman period in other comparable buildings. Attention, photos are not allowed inside!