Cathedral of Santa Maria della Purificazione

Centuries of art and history in one majestic building

The Cathedral of Santa Maria della Purificazione or, more simply, Termoli Cathedral, is one of the most beautiful religious buildings in all of Molise. The Romanesque-style building overlooks the main square of the characteristic medieval village and dates back to the historical period between the 12th and 13th centuries. It was built from the ruins of a previous religious building and has undergone several changes over the centuries, due to earthquakes and other historical events. During work in 1760 and 1962, for example, the relics of St Bassus and St Timothy, patron saints of the Molise city, were found, and the cathedral is now dedicated to them.

Valuable artefacts not to be missed by lovers of religious art and architecture include the Baptistery, the altar of Mary Most Holy of the Rosary, the altar of St Sebastian, the sarcophagus containing the remains of St Bass, the mosaic floors with zoomorphic elements, a marble tombstone on a wall dated 1238 and the oval reliquary with the skull of St Timothy.

Termoli Cathedral, which can be visited at any time of the year, fully reflects the medieval period, the era of this city's greatest economic expansion.