Cathedral of Taormina - Duomo di Taormina

The Cathedral of Taormina is dedicated to San Nicolò from Bari and was built around 1400 on the remains of a pre-existing church. It has undergone many restorations over the centuries. The last one, completed in 1948, brought to light the structures of the arches of the apse, once hidden by stuccoes of the Baroque period. The “Fortress Cathedral”, so called because of the architectural and external fortification elements typical of medieval buildings, displays a Latin cross structure with a nave and two aisles. In the aisles six minor altars are located. Six columns, three on each side, in pink marble of Taormina with capitals decorated with leaf and scales of fish, hold up the central nave. The latter opens under a wooden beam ceiling with carved brackets, reproducing Arabic motifs expressed in Gothic style.