Cattolica of Stilo

Not to be missed

Let's enter. Earth and light - skillfully dosed by the mullioned windows of the three apses and those of the domes - define the space. Here man has gathered in prayer over the centuries in search of God. Everything around us tells us the story of this place. The Latin cross structure defined by columns, a typical example of ancient Byzantine worship, was apparently accompanied by frescoes on all the interior walls. Today we have only fragments and, according to scholars, they are not even the original ones. In fact, when the old cult made way for the Latin cult, the interior depictions also changed. So it is that today, in the intimacy of this small and cozy space, we can admire the Sleeping Virgin, protected by the Archangel Gabriel and watched over by the Apostles; we can enjoy the benevolent gaze of Christ Blessing, and admire the saints who welcomed the faithful here. We can hear the voice of a monk who, perhaps on Aspromonte, had an apparition of God, which he decided to share with us by carving his testimony on one of the columns. We are now ready to leave, but we take with us an ancient, whispered tale that has reached our hearts.

A bit of history

Of the history of the Cattolica there is no written documentation until the 16th century, when it is mentioned in the Memoria istorico-geografica by Michelangelo Macrì of Siderno. However, its construction is attributed to Eastern monks who settled on the slopes of Mount Consolino during Byzantine rule (10th and 11th centuries). They lived in clusters of natural caves, some frescoed, which took the name "laura," still visible today. The term "Cattolica" probably derives from the Greek "Katholikon" (main church of Greek Orthodox monasteries), but to this day there is still debate about what its original purpose was. Some theories understand the Cattolica as the first and ancient mother church, others as a Muslim oratory, and still others as a place of recollection for hermit communities. The most accepted thesis points to the Cattolica as belonging to a monastery, probably dedicated to the Assumption.

Curiosity

Inside, a mystery shrouds the first column on the right: two inscriptions can be read there, which translated mean "there is no God outside the one God" and "to God the praise." Why a mystery? Because the language of these inscriptions is Arabic. How they ended up in here is unclear. There are two main hypotheses: either the column arrived with the inscriptions already affixed, or for a time the Catholic was home to Muslim worship.