Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of Sant Erasmo is the main Roman Catholic church in Gaeta. It was first built in the 7th century, and then rebuilt several times - in the 10th, 17th and 18th centuries. Its façade was replaced in the 20th century.
The current neoclassical building is the result of a refurbishment carried out in the 18th century by order of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. The facade of the cathedral was built in 1903 in the neo-Gothic style: it is notable for a large portico crowned with a triple lancet window in the center. The pediment above the round rosette window was made in the middle of the 20th century from pale limestone tuff.
Inside, the cathedral consists of a central nave with side chapels and transepts, an altar space and a relief apse. Opposite the presbytery is a 16th-century wooden choir resting on two marble columns. The columns of the original medieval building have also survived. Under the altar there is a crypt, decorated in the 16-17th centuries with colored marble and frescoes. It can be accessed from both side chapels by two large staircases. The interior of the cathedral is decorated with numerous works of art, such as Easter candles decorated with 13th century carvings.
The Cathedral of Sant'Erasmo stands on the site where in the 7th century, outside the city walls, the Church of Santa Maria was erected, which gave shelter to the bishops who fled from Formia. In the 10th century, after the discovery of the relics of Saint Erasmus, the church was expanded and the holy remains were taken into custody. In 1106, it was consecrated by Pope Pasquale II.
To the right of the cathedral is a 57-meter-high bell tower in the Arab-Norman style, built in the 12th century by the architect Niccolò d'Angelo. At the entrance to it you can see a bas-relief depicting a sea monster swallowing the biblical prophet Jonah. The foundation of the bell tower was built from fragments of ancient Roman monuments, in particular, the mausoleum of Atratinius. An impressive staircase leads inside, where there are Roman sarcophagi from the archaeological site of Minturno. The bell tower, like most of the surrounding square, was seriously damaged during the Second World War, but it was restored and remains an important element of the urban landscape.
