Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

The church of San Giovanni Battista was built in the 16th century. The church is built on a longitudinal plan with a single nave in the form of a Latin cross. The façade is carved with a series of Ionic and Corinthian capitals, topped by a tympanum. The main entrance door, dating from the 17th century, is flanked on both sides by columns of Gimigliano green stone topped with Ionic capitals. Above, a niche houses a statue of St John the Baptist, made in Naples in 1632.

The Cathedral of Catanzaro was first built in 1121 in Norman times and dedicated by Callisto II to Santa Maria Assunta and the Apostles Peter and Paul. In 1309 the Chapel of San Vitaliano was built on the left side façade and in 1588 the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament was built in front of it. In the altar of the Chapel of St. Vitaliano, the relics of St. Vitaliano, patron saint of the city, and of St. Fortunato and St. Ireneo, ancient patrons of the Byzantine city, have been placed in three niches. The church was also remodelled in 1511 with a Renaissance façade, which collapsed after the earthquake of 1638.

The church of Santissimo Rosario was built in the 15th century on the ashes of a hospital for the poor. A convent run by the Dominicans was also attached to it. Today, the convent building is used as a barracks for the Guardia di Finanza. The complex has been renovated several times over the years, mainly due to the damage caused by the earthquakes that Catanzaro suffered, such as those of 1638, 1783 and the 19th century. It was precisely because of the latter that the structure of the church was so damaged that it had to remain closed for over half a century, from 1832 to 1891.