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. 

Ancona Cathedral

However long your stay in Ancona, a visit to the beautiful and renowned Cathedral of St Ciriaco is an absolute must.   Consecrated in 1128 and finally completed 60 years later, it is one of Italy’s finest Romanesque churches and is the jewel in Ancona’s architectural crown.   The Cathedral of St Ciriaco is actually built on the site of an even more ancient temple, built in honour of Venus, the Roman Goddess of love.  Some of the ruins of this much older structure are still visible beneath the church itself, and it has been suggested that the Ancona Cathedral’s ten columns mirror the layout of the original pagan temple.

Built from exquisitely worked grey stone, Ancona Cathedral sits majestically on the city’s Guasco hill, commanding the most spectacular views of the city and the Adriatic - one of the many reasons why the short climb from the city’s main streets is so richly rewarded and not to be missed.