"Duomo" Cosenza Things to Do Tip by Tolik

The cathedral was built in the middle of the 11th century, but destroyed by the earthquake of 1184. The archbishop Luca Campano rebuilt it in Gothic-Cistercian (or Provençal Gothic) style. Consecrated on the occasion of Swabian emperor Frederick II's visit to the city in 1222. During the 18th century the Neapolitan archbishop Michele Capece Galeota restored the church covering the whole interior with Baroque-style decorations, while in the first half of the 19th century another Neapolitan archbishop, Domenico Narni Mancinelli, changed even the facade into Baroque-style. In the last years of the 19th century the archbishop Camillo Sorgente restored the cathedral giving it again the simple character of medieval architecture.

The interior - a mixture of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles. In the north transept visitors can see the beautifully carved tomb of Isabella of Aragon, who died in Cosenza in 1271 while returning from a crusade with her husband Philip III, King of France (you can see him kneeling beside the queen). This beautiful sculpture was carved out of local stone by a French artist in 1271.
In the right aisle there is the ancient sarcophagus of Meleagro which contains the mortal remains of Arrigo, one of the sons of Federico II (the rebellion one). Nearby is a Roman sarcophagus carved with a hunting scene. Fort the faithful, the cathedral's most venerated item lies in the first chapel on the left - a copy of a 13th century Byzantine icon, the Madonna del Pilerio , which was once carried around the country during times of trouble (like plague). The Madonna del Pilerio's Chapel and the one of the brotherhood "DeIl'orazione e morte" still keep their Baroque style.