Church of San Francesco di Paola

Church of San Francesco di Paola: where Calabria venerates its saint At the extreme edge of the hill of San Rocco, the Church of San Francesco di Paola stands as one of the dearest places to Calabrian devotion. This conventual complex, born from the unconditional faith of the people of Catanzaro towards their fellow saint, preserves almost five centuries of history that intertwine spirituality, art, and regional pride in a fascinating narrative of popular devotion. A foundation between history and legend The origins of the convent date back to between 1577 and 1581, when the Minim Fathers decided to establish themselves permanently in Catanzaro. As Father Giovanni Fiore attests, "in '77 designated, and in '81 the construction began," a date confirmed by the "Acta Capitulorum Generalium Ordinis Minimorum" which document the official acceptance of the Catanzaro convent in the Chapter of Barcelona in 1581. But the history is more complex: historical sources of the Order report that an initial conventual building was constructed outside the city walls, in a place called San Francesco Vecchio or San Biase, perhaps in the current area of Stratò. Only later did the friars move to the current location, in the ancient district of Santa Tecla, a crossroads between the "Latin" and "Greek" quarters of the medieval city. The love of a city for its saint What makes this foundation unique is the intense spiritual bond between Catanzaro and Francesco di Paola. The city and the entire province felt the "Blessed Francesco from Paola of Calabrian Nation" as part of their own identity, celebrating him as the one who "by the grace of the Lord with his miracles is illustrious in healing the sick and performing other miraculous deeds." Such was the strength of this devotion that the "University & Men of Catanzaro" actively supported the cause of the canonization of the saint, sending a letter to Pope Leo X in 1517 - ten years after the friar's death on Good Friday in 1507 - to urge the official recognition of the sanctity of the Calabrian thaumaturge. Construction amidst obstacles and triumphs The construction of the church was not without difficulties. The first problems arose after the earthquake of 1638, when the Catanzaro Father Paolo Gaspa worked to have the church "completed and decorated," having to overcome the opposition of the nearby Dominican nuns. The turning point came in 1715, when with a public deed the church was raised by twelve palms in agreement with the nuns. Father Gaspa brought an architect from Messina for the project: in 1720 a contract was signed with Gregorio Pilò di Borgia for the transport of marble from the Corace River, in 1722 Neapolitan craftsmen arrived for the stuccoes, and finally in 1727 the church was solemnly consecrated by the bishop of Oppido, Father Giuseppe Maria Perrimezzi, also of the Order of the Minims. An architecture that speaks of faith The current facade, probably dating back to the end of the Seventeenth...