Nicosia Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di San Nicolò; Cattedrale or ''Duomo di Nicosia'') is the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Nicosia, Sicily The Italian Catholic Diocese of Nicosia ( la, Dioecesis Nicosiensis o Herbitensis) is in Sicily. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela. The current bishop is Salvatore Muratore. History The diocese of Nico ...

, and is located in

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is dedicated to

Saint Nicholas of Bari Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

. The

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

preserves a precious and unique wooden roof of 1300. The church was built in the early 1300s, under the reign of

Frederick II of Aragon Frederick II (or III) (13 December 1272 – 25 June 1337) was the regent of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1291 until 1295 and subsequently King of Sicily from 1295 until his death. He was the third son of Peter III of Aragon and served in th ...

, and became functional, even if not completed, in 1340.

History

A church at the site, called San Nicolò il ''Piccolo'', is recalled to have been present during the Byzantine and Saracen occupations of Sicily. A larger church, dedicated also to Saint

Nicola di Bari Nicola Di Bari (born 29 September 1940) is an Italian singer-songwriter and actor. He is considered one of the "sacred monsters" of Italian pop music. Life and career Born in Zapponeta, Apulia, Di Bari was the youngest of ten children from a f ...

, was begun by 1302 during the rule of Federico II d'Aragona. It was not completed until 1340. according to an epigraph on the architrave of the ''Porta del Monte'', at the left of the main portal. In 1521, the church was elevated to a collegiate church by Pope Leo X. During the 17th and 18th centuries, it competed with the local church of Santa Maria Maggiore for primacy. In 1817, this church was made cathedral of the town with its own bishop. In 1940, the Cathedral was named a national monument. It was made a minor basilica in 1967.

Description

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The church has two main access points. There is a portico with shallow ogival arches facing a Piazza Garibaldi with a fountain. The main portal on the facade has a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and Romanesque portal, rich with a leafy sculptural decoration. At the base are statues depicting the four cardinal virtues (prudence, strength, justice, and temperance) and above the tympanum are the three theologic virtues: faith, hope and charity. The first chapel on the right (Chapel of the Redeemer) houses a marble triptych attributed to

Antonello Gagini Antonello Gagini (1478–1536) was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, mainly active in Sicily and Calabria. Antonello belonged to a family of sculptors and artisans, originally from Northern Italy, but active throughout Italy, including Gen ...

. The second chapel on the right has an altarpiece depicting the ''Martyrdom of St Placidus'' by

Giuseppe Patania Giuseppe Patania (January 18, 1780 – February 23, 1852) was an Italian painter of the Neoclassical period. He painted portraits and historical subjects. Biography He was born in Palermo, Sicily. He studied with Giuseppe Velasco Giuseppe ...

. The first chapel on the left (Baptistery) has a font with a bas-relief depicting the ''Original Sin'' (1497-1499) attributed to

.. The ciborium has a relief depicting the Passion of Christ, as well as Saint Peter and Paul. The right transept has a venerated wooden crucifix and a ''Madonna della Vittoria'' attributed to the school of Gagini, and completed to celebrate the victory at Lepanto. The left transept has a statue of San Nicola di Bari'' by

Filippo Quattrocchi Filippo is an Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English name Philip, from the Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Philip" Retrieved on 23 January 2016. The female variant is Filip ...

, a follower of Gagini. The main altarpiece depicts a ''Resurrection'' by

Giuseppe Velasco Giuseppe Velasquez, Velasques or Velasco (16 December 1750 – 7 February 1827) was an Italian painter, active in a Neoclassic style. Biography He was born at Palermo into Spanish family; his father was Fabiano Ungo de Velasco. At the age of ...

. The sculptures around the main altar were created by the Li Volsi family, who also made the wooden choir. Among the paintings and sculptures housed in the church are also: *''Madonna delle Grazie''with Saints Rosalia and John the Baptist'' by

Pietro Novelli Pietro Novelli (March 2, 1603 – August 27, 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Palermo. Also known as ''il Monrealese'' or ''Pietro "Malta" Novelli'' to distinguish him from his father, Pietro Antonio Novelli I ...

; *''Assumption of Mary'' by

; *''Holy Family'' and ''Immaculate Conception'' by

Filippo Randazzo Filippo Randazzo (18th century) was an Italian painter, active in Palermo. References

* 18th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian Baroque painters Painters from Palermo Year of death missing 18th-century Italian male art ...

; *''Resurrection'' and ''Rosary'' by

Antonio Filingelli Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

. *''Marble pulpit'' (octagonal) (1556) by Giandomenico Gagini. In the Chapter hall is housed a statue of St Nicolo by

; a canvas depicting ''St Eligius'' (1535) by

Johannes De Matta Johannes De Matta, also known as Juan de Matta (15th century – 16th century) was a Spanish painter... He was born in Valencia. Few and fragmentary biographical details are known about his professional training, which included a stay in Naples a ...

; a ''Martyrdom of St Bartholemew'' by

Jusepe de Ribera Jusepe de Ribera (1591 – 1652) was a painter and printmaker, who along with Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and the singular Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artists of Spanish Baroque painting. Referring to ...

; a '' Martyrdom of St Sebastian'' by

Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 –1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the early 19th ...

; and three canvases by Pietro Novelli: a ''Madonna and Child'', ''St John'' and ''St Rosalia''.

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

* {{coord, 37.74787, 14.39817, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title} Roman Catholic churches in Nicosia, Sicily

Nico Naftiran Intertrade Company Société à responsabilité limitée#In Switzerland, limited (NICO) is a Switzerland, Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC bu ...

Cathedrals in Sicily 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches completed in 1340 Minor basilicas in Sicily