The Cattolica di Stilo, a Byzantine monastic church above Stilo in Calabria, Italy. Terracotta tiles in decorative diagonal patterns sheath five drum towers topped by shallow cupolas or domes rising through a pantiled roof. ‘La Cattolica’ was built in the 800s AD by troglodyte Basilian monks to a square Greek cross plan. It has a simple brick facade, three eastern apses, and four re-used central columns from the ancient Greek coastal colony of Kaulonia or Kaulon, destroyed by Rome in 200 BC.
Stilo, Calabria, Italy: terracotta tiles in decorative diagonal patterns sheath the five drum towers topped by shallow cupolas or domes rising through the pantiled roof of the Cattolica di Stilo, a 9th century Byzantine monastic church built by troglodyte monks on a hillside above the River Stilaro. ‘La Cattolica’, the only church of its kind in Calabria, is seen as an architectural jewel. It was constructed by Basilians, Catholic monks following the rule of St Basil the Great, who lived in clusters of natural caves on the slopes of Monte Consolino, above the town of Stilo. The structure, built to a Greek cross plan, has a simple brick facade, three eastern apses, and four re-used central columns from the ancient Greek coastal colony of Kaulonia or Kaulon, destroyed by Rome in 200 BC. Layered remnants of vivid frescoes from the Byzantine, Norman, Swabian, Gothic and Angevin eras are flooded with daylight from round-arched windows in the towers. Several Arabic inscriptions found in the church have led scholars to believe that it may once have been used as a Muslim oratory. One inscription translates: "There is only one true God". Stilo, on a terraced hillside in the Vallata dello Stilaro, was probably founded by former inhabitants of Kaulon fleeing the destruction of their city. It thrived as later generations of coastal dwellers sought inland safety from Saracens raiding the Ionian coast, achieved autonomy under the Normans and maintained power and influence for several centuries. Remnants of Stilo’s medieval defensive walls and town gates survive and high above the town, a ruined 11th century Norman castle sits on the summit of Monte Consolino.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Stilo, Calabria, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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