Taranto Cathedral

Taranto Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Taranto, Apulia, Italy, dedicated to Saint Catald, who is the city's patron saint. It is the archiepiscopal seat of the Archdiocese of Taranto. The Cathedral was built by the Byzantines in the 10th Century AD, under Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas, over an earlier construction dating from the 5th century, and it is the oldest cathedral in Puglia. The Baroque-style façade and its statues date from the early 18th century, and are attributed to the architect and sculptor Mauro Manieri, born in Lecce in 1697. They were part of an architectural renovation of the cathedral commissioned by the Archbishop Giovan Battista Stella, whose coat of arms can be seen above the main entrance.