The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in Piazza Duomo in Ortigia, is a unique masterpiece in the world: a church built INSIDE a Greek temple. The Doric columns of the Temple of Athena (5th century BC, erected by Gelon after the victory at Himera) are still visible, incorporated into the walls: they can be touched both outside on Via Minerva and inside the nave. The temple became a Byzantine church in the 7th century, then a mosque, and later a cathedral again under the Normans. The current facade is a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque (Andrea Palma, 1728-1753), reconstructed after the earthquake of 1693, adorned with statues by Ignazio Marabitti. Inside: the baptismal font made from a Greek crater, the chapel of Saint Lucia, the patron saint of the city, with the silver statue carried in procession on December 13th. The elliptical and entirely Baroque Piazza Duomo, which it overlooks, is among the most beautiful in Italy.
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