The Cathedral of San Pietro Apostolo, entirely built using shaped granite ashlars, stands in the heart of the city’s old town centre. Imposing and austere, together with the bell tower and Santa Croce oratory, it clearly stands out amidst the modest civil architecture surrounding it.
The first layout originating from the Early Middle Ages was followed by numerous alterations and restoration work: the erection of the XVI century bell tower and numerous extensions to the ancient sixteenth-century structure which ended in 1827. The church was first consecrated in 1519, while in 1621 it was elevated to the status of collegiate with a seal from Gregory XVI. Monsignor Capece consecrated it to Cathedral on 2 June, 1839.
The outside of San Pietro has two facades: the main one overlooking a small square with a splayed portal, held up by a small mosaic depicting the saint. It also has two curved windows in the upper part. The much more articulated as well as half-pilaster bipartie side facade, has Tympanum and oculus openings embellished with mosaics. The imposing height of the interior presents a single nave with barrel vaults, four chapels each side, a presbytery raised on marble steps and a semi-circular apse.
Restoration work in 2007 returned the vault to its original glory; bright shades of green compliment the nineteenth-century Genoese-Baroque marble furnishings, including the high altar, pulpit, baptismal font and some statues. Some features worth mentioning include the magnificent wooden organ, crafted by Paolo Ciresa in 1980, and the imposing choir carved from wild olive, behind the altar, built during Monsignor Vico’s episcopate from 1737 to 1741.
