The undisputed symbol of Stilo is undoubtedly the Cattolica, a small Byzantine church dating from the 9th-10th century. The name of this striking building derives from the Greek word Katholikon, which suggests that it belonged to some sort of monastic complex, probably the Monastery of the Assumption.
The Byzantine and oriental style is clearly visible on the outside, thanks to the chromatic variety and the five domes that surmount the cubic structure.
Inside, there are striking frescoes depicting warrior saints, a 16th-century bell decorated with a relief of the Madonna and Child and columns with Corinthian and Gothic capitals. If you pause on the first column on the right, you will also notice an inscription, probably left by the monk Paolo, which speaks of an apparition that took place on nearby Aspromonte.
