The Cathedral of Reggio Calabria

The Cathedral  of Reggio Calabria is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria- Bova and is the biggest religious building of the whole district, 94 metres in length,  22 metres in width and 21 metres in height.


The Cathedral has gone through a lot of vicissitudes because of the alternating links firstly to the Latin Church of Rome and then to the Greek- Byzantine Church until the Norman Conquest (1061) and the following renewed latin influence, the several rebuildings after earthquakes, wars and sacks, some of them recorded in the 1632 memorial stone (right side aisle) until the latest rebuilding after the 1908 earthquake.


On the initiative of the Bishop Rinaldo Camillo Rousset, the rebuilding works started with the laying of the foundation stone on the 15th July 1917and went on until the 2nd September 1928, date of the inauguration and dedication of  the church. The works ended in 1929 when the bell tower was built.
The original project by Father Carmelo Angelini underwent several adjustments to the technologically advanced structure in reinforced concrete. The building is higher than the facing great  square to which it is linked by a flight of steps 10 metres deep, on which there are two statues of St Paul on the left and St Stephen from Nicea on the right, both made by the sculptor Francesco Jerace (1934).


The Cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and it was raised to the dignity of Basilica Minore by Pope Paul VI (1978), its style is neo Romanesque following the canons of the Italian architectural tradition but with particular features resulting in an original impressive building.


Three bronze portals stand out (1988) from the façade, divided in three sectors by four turrets, inaugurated during the XXI National Eucharistic Congress in Reggio: the left Portal  Madonna della Consolazione by Biagio Poidimani, the right portal  Saint Paul by Nunzio Bibbò, and the central Portal  Our Lady of the Assumption  by Luigi Venturini, protected by a protiro on bundles of columns.


 The interior is spacious and bright thanks to the big polychromatic stained-glass windows decorated with figures or geometric ornamental patterns; it has an impressive plant with three aisles interrupted by three transepts and divided by three rows of marble columns with bell-shaped bases.


The presbytery, higher than the hall and linked to it by a large flight of stairs, ends with a polygonal apse ; it is furnished by a  wooden choir (1926) and is surmounted by a big wooden Crucifix (dated between 1600 and 1800).


 The whole building is embellished  by works: tombs of bishops 5th- 6th century, Pulpit and Medallion by Francesco Jerace,  High Altar, two ambos and two holy-water fonts  by Concesso Barca (1929); Bishop chair  by Alessandro Monteleone; (1950)  Marble Elliptical altar  surrounded  by a continuous  bronze bas-relief  by Antonio Berti (1970); valuable wooden full-relief Crucifix (sec XVIII),  in the third side chapel on the right; nineteenth century paintings in the Presbitery Chapels: “The Assumption of the Vergin Mary”(1804?) (left side) by Crestadoro (2 X 4,50 mt) and “The Bishop consecration of Saint Stephen from Nicea” (823) (right side);  Silver bronze Baptistery with lid (1818); valuable pictorial ornaments of the walls, transepts, vaults, apses.

 

The Church in Reggio Calabria and Saint Paul

There is a special tie between Saint Paul and the church in Reggio Calabria since the latter originated from the preaching of the Apostle, who landed on Reggio from Siracusa during his journey from Cesarea to Rome in 61 A.D. and stayed for a day as the Acts of the Apostles (28,13) state: "And from there, going about in a curve, we carne to Regium."

We can find the inscription in the upper part of the protiro The column miracle Saint Paul was the first to preach the Gospel and to start the first Christian community led by Saint Stephen from Nicea, left by the Apostle as bishop when he went to Pozzuoli.According to an ancient tradition, Saint Paul's landing on the beach of Reggio along the seafront, where there is the "Cippo" was in the celebration day in honour of Diana Fascelide.The story says that Saint Paul was given the permission to speak to the pagan and distracted celebrating crowd. A candle was placed on a column and the Saint's speech could last until the burning out of the candle end but, wonderful event, when the candle ended the stone column started to bum and with its light Saint Paul's preaching lasted until the following morning. The passion of the Apostle's words inflamed the Brutium people's hearts converting them to Christianity.

Saint Paul is, therefore, considered the founder of the church in Reggio and father of the Christians in Calabria; John Paul II proclaimed him main Patron Saint of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria in 1980.
The liturgical memory of Saint Paul's arrival in Reggio is on the 21st May.

The remains of the column are kept in the right side chapel in the Presbitery.
On the right wall of the same chapel there is a memorial stone with a Latin inscription celebrating the wonderful event of the conversion of Regium people. [AVE COLUMNA NOBILIS / ELECTRO ET AURIO DITIOR / ILLAQUE MOBIS IGNEA / COLUMNA FORTUNATIOR / UOD ORE PAULUS PRAEDICAT/ TE FULGURANTE COMPROBAT/ TE CONFLAGRANTE RHEGIUM / CHRISTI FIDEM COMPLECTITUR / ERGO COLUMNA RHEGIA / HEBREOS UT ISRAELITICA / IN TERRAE OPIMA TRANSTULIT / TU NOS IN ASTRA DUCITO]
Hail oh noble column brighter than amber and gola and more provident than the fìre column of Moses. What Saint Paul says through his words is confirmed byyour brìghtness. Thanks to your flames Reggio embraces Christianity. So, as the Hebrew flame led the Hebrew people to the Promised Land, you, royal column, lead us to Heaven.

The miracle is depicted in many works:

* Front relief on the Pulpit
* Golden bronze lunette in the altar in the “Saint Paul Chapel”
* Bronze bas-relief on a tile of the Cathedra
* On the right Portal