Discover Termoli's Beautiful Cathedral

Termoli is a beautiful seaside town on the Adriatic coast in the region of Molise. It is a local resort town known for its lovely beaches and striking fortifications. However, if you are visiting this town, and we recommend that you do, be sure to make the time to stop by the cathedral. Termoli Cathedral makes an immediate impact upon visiting with its elegant and stunning restraint and has an exceptionally long and rich history going back hundreds of years. It is said to originally have been the site of a Roman temple dedicated to Castor and Pollux and is now just as alive as a place of worship, a popular spot for weddings and a venue for plays, concerts and more. In fact, the whole town is worth the visit so why not find a holiday rental in Abruzzo nearby and spend a day exploring this charming and historic place?

In the Middle Ages, Termoli was frequented by a great deal of international traffic due to its coastal location along the itineraries that led to the popular sanctuary of San Michele sul Gargano and the Holy Land. The cathedral is a visualisation of the town's relationship with Puglia, the Holy Land and transalpine countries, particularly France, as is clearly demonstrated by the complex ornamentation of the façade. The current structure dates to the 12th and 13th centuries but probably replaced an 11th century cathedral on the same site. The interior has suffered from numerous periods of alteration and has very much lost its original appearance while the exterior still preserves most of its original decorations.

The decorations on the lower part of the façade are particularly rich, presenting a series of blind arches, including two-light mullioned windows and a central portal, ornamented with vegetal and figured patterns.

There are also sculptures of the Annunciation and St. Basso and remains of another depicting scenes from the Presentation in the Temple attached to the exterior. Made of white stone, the overall effect is restrained and simple, despite the areas of intense ornamentation. The altered interior only heightens the grand and stern atmosphere, looking almost bare.

The remains of the Bishop San Basso, the patron saint of the town, are kept in a crypt under the cathedral and it is thought that he was buried in an Early Christian church that once occupied the site.

Today, this Cathedral is a gathering place for hundreds of tourists and faithful followers from all regions and is known for the classical concerts it hosts – if you can catch one while you're there, it would surely be a magical experience in such a setting, a real highlight of Molise.