The Duomo....The Cathedral
We love visiting churches in Italy. There are over 100,000 of them so we will never run out of visits!
They are all beautiful and unique in some way and the Duomo/Cathedral in Reggio is no exception. This church has been rebuilt many times over the years due to earthquakes and wars.What we see now is from the rebuild of 1928.
Inside is also beautiful and is big and surprisingly bright thanks to the stained glass windows.
Outside stands a large statue of the Apostle Paul who is honored as the originator of Christianity in Reggio. In the Bible, in the book of Acts (28:13), is recorded that he made a stop in Rhegium/Reggio on his way to Rome.
According to ancient tradition, Paul's landing on the beach of Reggio along the seafront coincided with a large gathering/celebration. Paul was given permission to speak to them until the oil lamp placed on a stone column burned out. The story says that when the lamp stopped burning, the stone column broke out in flames and continued to burn and with its light Paul's was able to continue preaching until the following morning. The "miracle column" is on display in the Cathedral with the inscription: "...So, as the Hebrew flame led the Hebrew people to the Promised Land, you, royal column, lead us to Heaven".
Another unique thing we noticed are the three sculpted front doors. Each tells a story. This one is of the life of Christ, another door of the life of Paul, and another the story of their sacred effigy.
We learn something new in every church we visit.
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