The cathedral of Siracusa is beautiful. It is ornate and simple all at once: a combination of Baroque on the outside with simple Greek doric columns embeded in the walls and visible from both inside and out. The Greek temple around which it was built dates to the 5th century B.C., while the Baroque is middle 1700s. Such extended history in one building!

Doric column next to Baroque detailing

Baroque entry with Moorish influence

The Greek columns are much more visible inside than out

Beautiful simplicity

The lights provide a warm glow to the stone

The Greek columns are massive

The central nave carries the simplicity

The side chapels have the more ornate Baroque

Definitely Baroque!

For me, the simplicity, the absence of painting in the central nave, all the light colored stone imparting a lightness to the interior, complemented by the statuesque Doric columns make this an exceptionally lovely church.