In the ancient heart of Reggio Calabria, between Via Giudecca and Via Aschenez, stands the church of the Cattolica dei Greci (also called Santa Maria della Cattolica dei Greci).

Founded in the 12th century by Count Roger d’Altavilla, the church bears witness to the encounter between cultures and religions that has always characterized the history of Reggio. Its name recalls the long presence of the Byzantines, while the streets surrounding it refer to the memory of the Jewish community once present in the city.

During the Byzantine period, it was the main cathedral of the city and of Greek rite. With the arrival of the Normans and the progressive Latinization of the rites, it lost its importance, but preserved for centuries the Greek liturgy and its own autonomy from the Latin bishop, a condition that lasted until 1818.

Originally, the church was located near the present-day Piazza Italia, where today the toponym “Via Cattolica dei Greci” remains. Destroyed by the earthquake of 1783, it was first moved to a temporary location and then, in 1876, it was rebuilt in Neoclassical style, based on a design by the architect Antonino Pugliese. The church was damaged first by the earthquake of 1908 and then by the flood of 1953, and was therefore restored and reopened for worship in 1957.

The interior is laid out in a Latin cross with three naves, the central one culminating in a semicircular apse and a bright dome decorated with stuccoes and frames that enclose the faces of saints. The façade, elegant and harmonious, features four columns with composite capitals, a monumental entablature, and two bell towers.

An element of great artistic value is the gilded bronze portal created by the sculptor Giuseppe Niglia, on which are represented, through eight panels: the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Presentation in the Temple, the Flight into Egypt, the Preaching of Jesus in the Temple, the Wedding at Cana, the Crucifixion, the Assumption of the Virgin.