Ancona’s Saint Ciriaco

On your trip to Ancona, you must stop in at the cathedral church of Saint Ciriaco.  Building was completed in 1189 after it was consecrated in 1128.  It is also believed that the original church dated from the 8^th Century.  The beautiful cathedral is constructed in the form of a cross making fine use fo grey stone.  It is of Romanesque architecture although the facade has a Gothic look and feel.

Inside this wonderful Anconian cathedral there are numerous crypts.  There are also 10 columns which are dedicated to the temple of Venus.  In the 1980s, the cathedral underwent a careful and successful restoration to bring it back to its fullest glory.

The cathedral is dedicated to Saint juda Cyriacus.  The story tells of him being the Bishop of Ancona who was killed in 133AD.  There is a feast on the 14^th of April each year to celebrate the life of this Bishop of Ancona.  His death was said to have been on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.   To this day the supposed body of Cyriacus lies visible in his tomb.