Syracuse Cathedral
The Cathedral of Santa Maria delle Colonne (Holy Mary of the Pillars) is the main church of the Sicilian city of Syracuse and the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Syracuse in the ecclesiastical region of Sicily . It is located at the highest point on the island of Ortygia , which was both the center of the settlement and the oldest part of the ancient city. The building incorporates much of the ancient one, the Athena consecrated temple . Since the 7th century, under the bishop Zosimus, the conversion to a church, initially in the Byzantine style , was pushed ahead. After the renovations and expansions in the following centuries, the cathedral today offers an architectural mix that is unique in this form. In addition to the parts of the ancient temple that are still recognizable as such, it combines elements of Byzantine architecture, Norman Romanesque and Sicilian Baroque .
Building history
Previous buildings
From the 7th century BC The foundations of an Athena sanctuary of the Greek settlers come from the vicinity of today's cathedral. The sanctuary was in the shape of an elongated megaron with an altar in front. The altar was unearthed during excavations at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the 6th century (around 530 BC) this sanctuary was to be replaced by a larger one. This should be a Peripteros (ring hall temple) in the Ionic architectural style . However, the construction of the Temple of Artemis was abandoned when 480-470 BC. After the victory at Himera over the Carthaginians under Gelon, the construction of the Doric temple of victory next to the Ionic one began.
The Doric Temple
The Doric victory temple, which was dedicated to Athena , was laid out as Naos hexastylos ( i.e. with six columns on the front side) and Peripteros (temple with a row of columns all around). 14 columns stood along each of the lateral sides. The dimensions of the structure were 22 by 55 meters, the columns were almost nine meters high. By Marcus Tullius Cicero decorating is ivory and gold and a series of painted panels survived. These represented a cavalry battle between Agathocles of Syracuse and the Carthaginians as well as the portraits of 27 tyrants and kings of the city. The main facade of the temple was to the east on the choir side of today's cathedral.
Front of the model of the Temple of Athena, Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi
Front and side views of the model
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Nowadays the columns on the left side are partially visible from the outside, from the inside you can also see nine columns of the walled column row on the right side and the anteroom of the cella ( opisthodom and pronaos ). Individual marble bricks and drip stones in the shape of a lion's head can be viewed in the Archaeological Museum .
Conversion to a Christian basilica
From the 7th century onwards, it was converted into a Christian church. To this end, the spaces between the Doric columns were walled up. The wall of the cella , on the other hand, was broken through with eight openings on each side, giving the impression of a three-aisled basilica . The dividing walls to the front ( pronaos ) and rear anteroom ( opisthodom ) were also removed and the interior space expanded in the longitudinal axis. After being used as a mosque during Islamic rule, the temple was consecrated again as a church in 1095. In Norman times the arches were raised and windows broken into the outer walls. The apse was decorated with mosaics . The multi-colored paved floor was created in the 15th century. In 1518 the ship got its wooden roof, which is still preserved. From 1728 the facade, damaged by the great earthquake in 1693, was renewed in the style of the Sicilian Baroque . This work under the direction of Andrea Palma lasted until 1753. The three large statues of Ignazio Marabitti (Virgin, Santa Lucia, San Marziano) were added four years later.
inner space
Chapels
The right aisle is occupied by several chapels . In the order from front to back these are:
- Baptistery: Here is the baptismal font, which has been modified from a marble basin from the Hellenistic period. The seven small bronze lions that adorn the pedestal date from the 13th century.
- Chapel of St. Lucia : Here is the precious silver statue of the saint by Pietro Rizzo from 1599 in a closed wooden shrine, which is only opened twice a year for special festivals.
- Chapel of the Sacrament: on a polygonal plan and with frescoes by Agostino Scilla on the vault (1657)
- Kreuzkapelle: It was built at the end of the 17th century in place of the southern, smaller apse. The assignment of the painting depicting St. Zosimo is uncertain. It may be from Antonello da Messina .
Web links
Coordinates: 37 ° 3 ′ 35 ″ N , 15 ° 17 ′ 36 ″ E