A walk through Amalfi’s Duomo of Sant’Andrea

Sitting atop a grand staircase, the Cathedral of Sant’Andrea provides a dramatic and stunning backdrop for the main piazza of Amalfi. Life comes and goes in this charming piazza, as visitors admire the striking facade of the Cathedral, locals stop for conversations, children play, and scooters zip through. The Piazza Duomo is the hub for city life in Amalfi, and the Cathedral of Sant’Andrea watches over the city today just as it has for centuries.

Dedicated to Amalfi’s patron saint and protector Sant’Andrea, the Cathedral complex in Amalfi can be visited most days for a small fee. On the way up the grand staircase, stop and admire the brilliant and colorful facade of the Cathedral. Its most striking and most recent addition, the current facade is an elaborate design featuring Byzantine and Moorish elements created by a Neapolitan architect Enrico Alvino in the late 19th-century. Look up and enjoy the colorful majolica tiles and Moorish designs on the top of the 12th-century bell tower.

Most visits to the Cathedral complex begin in the Cloister of Paradise. While its name is a pefect description of the sublime beauty and calm of the 13th century cloister, it is actually a reference to the original function of the cloister as the cemetery for the noble families of Amalfi. Walking around the cool and shady cloister, you can admire the sun shining through the 120 slendor Moorish style columns and arches. Along the left-hand gallery you will find remains of various sarcophagi and inlaid mosaic pieces from the Cathedral’s Byzantine pulpits.

From the Cloister of Paradise, you enter into the oldest section of the church now called the Basilica of the Crucifix. Dating from the year 596 A.D., this nave was the original Cathedral of Amalfi. Its medieval design is visible now after a restoration in 1994 removed the later Baroque period decorations. Today this space serves as the Duomo Museum, where you can enjoy a display of the museum’s artistic treasures. Be sure to admire the Angevin Mitre, a precious work of jewellery made for the Angevin Court in Naples in 1297.

Follow the staircase in the museum down to the Crypt of Sant’Andrea, the heart of both the Cathedral and the city of Amalfi. The relics of the Apostle Andrea arrived in Amalfi in 1208, and are preserved under a large altar. The surrounding Crypt is lavishly decorated with frescoes, marble inlay, and statues.

After visiting the Crypt, climb the staircase up to the grand nave of the Cathedral. The sumptuous Baroque interior dates to the 18th century, including the large paintings inset in the coffered ceiling depicting Sant’Andrea’s Flagellation, Crucifixion, the Miracle of the Manna, and the Depostion in the Sepulchre. Note the large 16th-century silver bust reliquary of Sant’Andrea in a niche on the side aisle.

After finishing your visit to the Cathedral, you can admire the view of the stunning facade and bell tower while enjoying a gelato or drink at one of the many cafés in the piazza. Sit back, relax, and watch Amalfi life go by.