You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Italian. (September 2015)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Messina Cathedral (Italian : Duomo di Messina; Basilica Cathedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta) is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Messina, Sicily. Formerly the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Messina, it became in 1986 the archiepiscopal seat of the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela.
In June 1947 Pope Pius XII granted it the status of a minor basilica.
Built by the Normans, it was consecrated in 1197 by the Archbishop Berardo. Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor and Constance I of Sicily were present to witness the ceremony. The current building is the final result of some twentieth-century reconstructions, which took place following the disastrous earthquake that struck Messina in 1908 and the considerable damage that resulted from the heavy aerial bombardment in World War II. [1]
Only the perimeter walls, the Gothic portal and an apse remained standing after the catastrophic earthquake which also destroyed surrounding edifices in Piazza Duomo. In 1943 incendiary bombs fell on the restored roof destroying much of its interior. Only an original mosaic and statue survived.
The tower houses the Messina astronomical clock, the largest astronomical clock in the world.
Various calamities, and in particular earthquakes , have struck the city several times over the centuries, damaging or destroying its monuments. The bell tower of the Cathedral is no exception to the rule.
Since the 12th century it has served merely decorative and liturgical purposes; in fact, it is enough to move a few dozen metres upstream to have a perfect panoramic view of the entire area of the Strait with a view of Calabria and a large portion of the Ionian Sea on the horizon .
Until 1678 (the year of the end of the anti-Spanish revolt and the signing of the Peace of Nijmegen , with which the city was reconquered by Spain ), the base of the bell tower housed precious parchment documents containing the historical memories of the city, brought to Spain to the monastery of El Escorial along with many other works of art.
The current bell tower was rebuilt in its original location after the 1908 earthquake and was designed based on the old one. More than 65 metres high, in the shape of a tower with a cusp roof, lightened on all sides by pairs of mullioned windows with pointed arches, it contains a magnificent animated clock, a true mechanical jewel, commissioned by Archbishop Angelo Paino from the Ungerer company of Strasbourg in 1933. This system is considered the largest and most complex mechanical and astronomical clock in the world.
The bell tower contains the largest concert in all of Sicily, consisting of 8 bells tuned according to the F#2 ascending major diatonic scale , all cast by the Colbachini foundry of Padua in 1929. The first, third and fifth bells are electrified in the fast Veronese style (without the possibility of going to the cup, however) while the others are fixed but are equipped with hammers. There are 2 other fixed bells, cast by Micheal Salicula in 1400. They were saved from the terrible Messina earthquake of 1908 .
Messina is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 218,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the Metropolitan City. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of Messina and it is an important access terminal to Calabria region, Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria on the mainland. According to Eurostat the FUA of the metropolitan area of Messina has, in 2014, 277,584 inhabitants.
The province of Benevento is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Benevento.
Milan Cathedral, or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary, is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Archbishop Mario Delpini.
The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular the term is traditionally used for English Romanesque architecture. The Normans introduced large numbers of castles and fortifications including Norman keeps, and at the same time monasteries, abbeys, churches and cathedrals, in a style characterised by the usual Romanesque rounded arches and especially massive proportions compared to other regional variations of the style.
Bourges Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church located in Bourges, France. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Stephen and is the seat of the Archbishop of Bourges. Built atop an earlier Romanesque church from 1195 until 1230, it is largely in the High Gothic or Classic Gothic architectural style and was constructed at about the same time as Chartres Cathedral. The cathedral is particularly known for the great size and unity of its interior, the sculptural decoration of its portals, and the large collection of 13th century stained glass windows. Owing to its quintessential Gothic architecture, the cathedral was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
Besançon Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint John located in the city of Besançon, France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Besançon.
The High Cathedral of Saint Peter in Trier, or Trier Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the oldest cathedral in Germany and the largest religious structure in Trier, notable for its long life span and grand design. The central part of the nave was built of Roman brick in the early fourth century, resulting in a cathedral that was added onto gradually in different eras. The imposing Romanesque westwork, with four towers and an additional apse, has been copied repeatedly. The Trier Cathedral Treasury contains an important collection of Christian art. In 1986 the church was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier.
A devastating earthquake occurred on 28 December 1908 in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). The epicentre was in the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily from the Italian mainland. The cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria were almost completely destroyed and between 75,000 and 82,000 people died, making it the deadliest earthquake in the history of Europe.
The Archdiocese of Messina is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church. It was founded as the Diocese of Messina but was raised to the level of an archdiocese on 30 September 1986 with the merging with the former Diocese of Lipari and the Territorial Prelature of Santa Lucia del Mela (1206), and as suffragans the Diocese of Patti and Diocese of Nicosia.
Padua Cathedral, or Basilica Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, is a Catholic church and minor basilica located on the east end of Piazza Duomo, adjacent to the bishop's palace in Padua, Veneto, Italy.
The 1693 Sicily earthquake struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, then a territory part of the Crown of Aragon by the Kings of Spain Calabria, and Malta on 11 January at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was preceded by a damaging foreshock on 9 January. The main quake had an estimated magnitude of 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, the most powerful in Italian recorded history, and a maximum intensity of XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale, destroying at least 70 towns and cities, seriously affecting an area of 5,600 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi) and causing the death of about 60,000 people.
Bari Cathedral, or Cathedral of Saint Sabinus, is the cathedral of Bari, in Apulia, southern Italy. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Bari-Bitonto, as it was previously of the archbishops, earlier bishops, of Bari. It is dedicated to Saint Sabinus, a bishop of Canosa, whose relics were brought here in the 9th century. It is senior to, though less famous than, Apulia's Basilica of St Nicholas.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Agatha, usually known as the Catania Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It was the seat of the Bishops of Catania until 1859, when the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese, and since then has been the seat of the Archbishops of Catania.
Ancona Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Ancona, central Italy, dedicated to Saint Cyriacus. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Ancona. The building is an example of mixed Romanesque-Byzantine and Gothic elements, and stands on the site of the former acropolis of the Greek city, the Guasco hill which overlooks Ancona and its gulf.
Otranto Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Italian city of Otranto, dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. It is the archiepiscopal seat of the Archdiocese of Otranto. The cathedral was consecrated in 1088. It is 54 metres long by 25 metres wide and is built on 42 monolithic granite and marble columns from unknown quarries. Its plan is a three-aisled nave with an apsidal east end. On either side of the west façade are two lancet windows.
Palmi Cathedral or the Church of Saint Nicholas is the principal church of Palmi in Italy, and co-cathedral of the diocese of Oppido Mamertina-Palmi.
The Basilica of St. Sebastian is a church in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Sicily, Italy, raised to the status of a minor basilica in 1991.
Lipari Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Lipari in the Province of Messina, Sicily, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew. Formerly the episcopal seat of the diocese of Lipari, it has been since 1986 a co-cathedral in the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela.
Reggio Calabria Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy. The dedication is to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Formerly the archiepiscopal seat of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria, it is now that of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova.
The astronomical clock of Messina is an astronomical clock constructed by the Ungerer Company of Strasbourg in 1933. It is built into the campanile of Messina Cathedral.
Media related to Messina Cathedral at Wikimedia Commons
38°11′32″N15°33′19″E / 38.1922°N 15.5554°E