Cathedral of Cosenza

The Cathedral of Cosenza sits in the historic heart of the old town, a Romanesque-Gothic building consecrated in 1222 and substantially modified over the following centuries. The façade blends Romanesque solidity with Gothic pointed arches in a way typical of southern Italian medieval architecture.

Inside, the most remarkable object is the Stauroteca — a Byzantine reliquary cross donated to the cathedral by Emperor Frederick II at its consecration. The Stauroteca is a 12th-century piece of Byzantine goldsmithing, elaborately jewelled and enamelled, and it alone makes the cathedral worth entering. The building also contains the tomb of Isabella of Aragon, Queen of France, who died at Cosenza in 1271 after falling from her horse.

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A story
The Cathedral was consecrated in 1222 in the presence of Frederick II, who attended the ceremony personally. He donated to the cathedral a reliquary — the Stauroteca, a Byzantine cross-shaped container encasing a fragment of the True Cross — as a mark of imperial favour. The Stauroteca is one of the finest surviving examples of Byzantine gold craftsmanship in Italy, and it is still held in the cathedral. It was made in Constantinople in the 12th century, before the city fell to the Crusaders in 1204.