Cattolica of Stilo

The Cattolica of Stilo is located in the village of the same name, Stilo, among the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, in the province of Reggio Calabria.

The Cattolica of Stilo is the masterpiece of Byzantine architecture in Calabria, a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage recognition for its unique characteristics.

Set on the slopes of Mount Consolino, in a panoramic position overlooking the Stilaro Valley, the Cattolica of Stilo takes its name from the term katholikì, or ‘’church with a baptistery‘’.

The Cattolica of Stilo is a Greek cross building inscribed in a square, typical of the mid-Byzantine period. The interior space is divided by four columns resting on different bases, recovered from an older period, one of which has an Arabic inscription praising Allah. 

The particular arrangement of the light sources highlights the frescoes, which originally entirely covered the interior walls, including an Annunciation, a Dormitio Virginis (the passing of Mary) and Christ Pantocrator on the vault, as well as a series of portraits of Greek Oriental saints.

The small room has three apses on the eastern side: the central one (bema) contained the altar proper, the one to the north (prothesis) housed the preparatory rite of bread and wine, while the one to the south (diakonikon) held the sacred furnishings and vestments.

The exterior of the Cattolica of Stilo, one of the most famous buildings in Calabria, is characterised by re-used bricks, most of them from the site of ancient Scolacium, and by the unmistakable oriental domes.