Byzantine Calabria: on the trail of the Byzantines in Calabria

Byzantine Calabria is the result of a happy artistic-cultural encounter between East and West, which occurred in the transition phase between the Late Antique world and the early Middle Ages (6th-11th centuries), with the establishment of the Byzantine Duchy of Calabria.

The journey in the footsteps of the Byzantine monks in Calabria is a fascinating experience, leading us to the discovery of places of art of extraordinary cultural value, UNESCO-listed and immersed in wild nature. One example above all? The famous Cattolica di Stilo, one of the most iconic monuments of eastern-Greek Calabria.

Let's take a closer look at the most beautiful sites and cultural testimonies of Byzantine art in Calabria.

The Byzantines in Calabria were an ancient presence, gradually settling throughout the territory starting with the so-called ‘’second Greek colonisation‘’ (the first was that of Magna Graecia). This wave is linked to the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the subsequent rise of the Byzantine Empire, with Constantinople (today's Istanbul) as its capital.

The period of Byzantine Calabria stretches from the mid-6th century to the mid-11th century, giving us monuments, works of art and linguistic-cultural traditions of immense value, most of which are now awaiting recognition as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Calabria.

Preceded by the arrival of the Basilian monks (to whom the region has dedicated the Basilian Way), who came to Calabria following St Basil the Great to escape the persecution they suffered, the Byzantines in Calabria continued an ancient religious tradition, centred on the practice of Greek-Oriental Christianity.

Byzantine Calabria is a priceless treasure chest of culture, architecture, works of art, religious rites and transformations of the territory that still manage to exert their centuries-old fascination.

Places where you can breathe in the scent of history and spirituality, immersed in landscapes of extraordinary beauty, which the Byzantines in Calabria helped to design by intervening in the landscape with irrigation works, hermit caves, dry stone walls and monuments.

Prominent among the Byzantine sites in Calabria in the province of Cosenza is Rossano (part of the Corigliano-Rossano municipality union), a town not coincidentally known as ‘’The Byzantine‘’.

It is here that we find two of the most important testimonies of Byzantine monasticism in Calabria: the Abbey of Santa Maria del Patire (or Pathirion) and the ancient Gospel Book known as ‘’Codex Purpureus Rossanensis‘’.

The Abbey of Santa Maria del Patire, founded in 1095 by Bartholomew of Simeri, is a jewel of Romanesque-Byzantine architecture in Calabria. In Norman times, it became one of the most important monasteries in southern Italy, with a rich library and a scriptorium where amanuensis monks transcribed ancient codices.

Precisely one of these codices, the ancient 6th century illuminated Greek evangelarium known as Codex Purpureus Rossanensis, has made Rossano famous among the sites in Calabria that boast UNESCO World Heritage status.

The precious codex is on display at the Diocesan Museum (Codex Museum) and is accessible to all thanks to an innovative tactile tablet that allows even the blind and visually impaired to enjoy the beauty of the artefact.

Also not to be missed is the Cathedral of Maria Santissima Achiropita, inside which there is an admirable fresco of the Madonna Achiropita (from the Greek ‘not produced by human hand’), precious floor mosaics and an important structure decorated in gold and Cyprus stone.

The most representative example of Byzantine art in Calabria in the province of Crotone is undoubtedly the Baptistery of Santa Severina.

The entire medieval village of Santa Severina, not surprisingly among ‘’The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy‘’ in Calabria, is steeped in oriental charm. Not everyone knows, for instance, that at the time of Arab domination Santa Severina was a small autonomous emirate, as the Castle of Santa Severina and the remains on display in the Archaeological Museum inside it testify.

A stroll through the old town reveals some of the most precious testimonies of Byzantine Calabria: the Grecìa quarter, the important Byzantine Baptistery, the only one of its kind in Calabria, circular in shape with frescoes dating between the 10th and 12th centuries, and the Cathedral of Santa Anastasìa (13th century).

Beginning with the regional capital, the city of Catanzaro, Byzantine Calabria is an expression of oriental craftsmanship.

The greatest example of the knowledge of the Byzantines in Calabria is the manufacture of silk and textiles. Catanzaro is still the home of this: known as the ‘’City of the three Vs‘’, in reference to the three characteristics that distinguish it, in addition to the ‘’wind‘’ and the patron saint St Vitalian, velvet tells us something...

Catanzaro silk, historically produced, processed and made up until the Unification of Italy, became established thanks to the Byzantines in Calabria and made this area one of the main silkworm breeding centres in Europe. Still today, silkworm breeding and the resulting textile products are the heritage of the hinterland, particularly in the municipality of San Floro, where a cooperative that can be visited is active.

The entire Gulf of Squillace, along the Costa degli Aranci, preserves traces of the East and how this world met/clashed with the Latin-Norman world thanks to figures such as Flavio Magno Aurelio Cassiodoro, whose archaeological itinerary among the so-called ‘’Cassiodorean places‘’ passing through the National Archaeological Park of Scolacium and the municipalities of Squillace and Stalettì is preserved.  

The traces of Byzantine art in Calabria referring to the province of Vibo Valentia are fading.

This is historically explained by the fact that the Vibo Valentia area and inland Calabria in the Serre Regional Park were the bastion of Norman power: a place designated by the princes and dukes of Normandy to annihilate the eastern ‘enemy’ in all its forms. An example of this is the establishment of the diocese of Mileto and the election of the city as administrative seat and birthplace of the Catholic rulers.

In this territory, the most evident Byzantine trace remains in the place names of towns and certain localities that recall the saints of Eastern monasticism: Saint Basil, Saint Leoluca, Saint Pantaleon, etc.

The apotheosis of Byzantine architecture and art in Calabria are two symbolic places in the province of Reggio Calabria: the famous Cattolica of Stilo, in the municipality of the same name, and the Monastery of San Giovanni Theristìs in Bivongi.

The Cattolica is a small church in the form of a Greek cross inscribed in a square, a typical plan of the mid-Byzantine period, located on the slopes of Mount Consolino, in Stilo, one of ‘’The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy‘’ in Calabria. A candidate for UNESCO recognition, the Catholic church has three apses and is embellished with a Madonna and Child and four columns, all different from each other, supporting the typical oriental domes.

Also in the Stilaro Valley, in the neighbouring municipality of Bivongi, is the other jewel of Byzantine architecture and art in Calabria:

Originating in the 9th century, the Monastery of San Giovanni Theristìs reached its peak in the 15th century. The Byzantine monks who founded it were learned and possessed an extensive library. Today, the monastery is granted to the Romanian Orthodox Church, which preserves its perfect balance of Byzantine and Latin styles.

The interior is a masterpiece of Byzantine icons, paintings, frescoes and sacred furnishings, including the iconostasis and the gold chandelier in the nave.