Duomo di Taormina (Cathedral of Taormina), Taormina
Taormina Cathedral of Saint Nicolo di Bari can be found in Cathedral Square (Piazza Duomo) just off the Corso Umberto, the main street of Taormina. The battlements on the roof give the 13th-century Sicilian-Gothic-Romanesque church the nickname "Cathedral Fortress."
The large Renaissance rose window in the facade is directly centered above the main portal. Two Baroque-style Corinthian columns flank the main entrance. They are mounted on high plinths. Above the doorway is an architrave with a broken tympanum. The west wall portal dates from the 15th century. The east wall entrance is from the 16th.
The interior is in the form of a Latin cross plan. There are three naves with three apses. The middle nave is supported by pink columns of Taormina marble. The columns have capitals with leaf and fish motifs. Each doorjamb has 22 carvings of the symbols of the evangelists and the apostles.
The chapels feature the Holy Sacrament and Our Lady of Grace. In the right nave is the painting of the Visitation by painter Antonio Giuffre (1463). There is also a polyptych by Antonello de Saliba (1504) of the Madonna, a pieta of Saints Lucy and Ataga, and the Last Supper. The Famous Byzantine Madonna is covered in silver and precious stones.
In the left nave are lunettes by artist Alfonso Franco of the Enthroned Virgin, God the Father, and the Crucifixion. In 1980 the church was elevated to the status of a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II.
The large Renaissance rose window in the facade is directly centered above the main portal. Two Baroque-style Corinthian columns flank the main entrance. They are mounted on high plinths. Above the doorway is an architrave with a broken tympanum. The west wall portal dates from the 15th century. The east wall entrance is from the 16th.
The interior is in the form of a Latin cross plan. There are three naves with three apses. The middle nave is supported by pink columns of Taormina marble. The columns have capitals with leaf and fish motifs. Each doorjamb has 22 carvings of the symbols of the evangelists and the apostles.
The chapels feature the Holy Sacrament and Our Lady of Grace. In the right nave is the painting of the Visitation by painter Antonio Giuffre (1463). There is also a polyptych by Antonello de Saliba (1504) of the Madonna, a pieta of Saints Lucy and Ataga, and the Last Supper. The Famous Byzantine Madonna is covered in silver and precious stones.
In the left nave are lunettes by artist Alfonso Franco of the Enthroned Virgin, God the Father, and the Crucifixion. In 1980 the church was elevated to the status of a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Taormina. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51±¬ÁÏÍø: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Duomo di Taormina (Cathedral of Taormina) on Map
Sight Name: Duomo di Taormina (Cathedral of Taormina)
Sight Location: Taormina, Italy (See walking tours in Taormina)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Taormina, Italy (See walking tours in Taormina)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Taormina, Italy
Create Your Own Walk in Taormina
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Taormina Introduction Walking Tour
Dionysius I, also known as Tyrant of Syracuse, permitted his army commander Andromachus to make a settlement in Taurmenium at the foot of Mount Etna in 396 BC. From its very beginning, Taormina has been the most desirable conquest of the great powers of the Mediterranean.
Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, Normans, Swabians, French, Spanish, and Arogonese have all taken turns cross-pollinating... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles
Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, Normans, Swabians, French, Spanish, and Arogonese have all taken turns cross-pollinating... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles