Agrigento - Cathedral

The Cathedral in Agrigento was built in the 11th century by the Normans on the highest point of the site of the ancient Acropolis, as a successor to the Temple of Zeus Atabyrios. This name is derived from Atabyros, the highest mountain on the island of Rhodes, and it reflects the Rhodian origin of the first colonists of Akrágas. In the 13th and 14th centuries the cathedral was extended and in the 17th century it was altered in the Baroque style. On the south side the Norman twin windows are immediately noticeable. Next to the massive bell-tower a flight of steps leads up to the main doorway. The interior of the three-aisled basilica was restored after earthquake damage in 1966, and in the process a real attempt was made in the nave to recreate its original medieval atmosphere. Thus from later periods only the magnificent wooden roof of 1518 has been retained, though the choir still displays its opulent Baroque embellishments.

The silver shrine of the canonized Bishop Gerlando, which dates from 1639, is to be found in a Gothic chapel in the right-hand side aisle. To the west of the cathedral stands the bishop's seminary, a 14th century palace which was rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries.