The Chiesa degli Ottimati, also called Santa Maria Annunziata, is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located on Via Castello in the city of

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

in the region of

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

, Italy.

History

The history of this church is documented as early as the 10th century. The present name derives from a Norman confraternity that rebuilt the church, and dedicated it to the ''Virgin of the Annunciation''. The Ottimati were a congregation of nobles founded by the Normans. Over time, these included the Filocamo, Griso, Altavilla and Borboni. The original layout appears to have been a Greek cross, with multiple domes. The Normans under

Roger II Roger II or Roger the Great (, , Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became ...

, built a church on top, eliminating many of the domes. On September 3, 1594 the church was damaged and burned during a sack of the town by Saracen raiders. In 1597, the church commissioned a new painting of the ''Annunciation'' by Agostino Ciampelli. By the 18th century, the church was affiliated with the Jesuits, and a school was adjacent. With the suppression of the Jesuits in 1767, the church fell empty. It was damaged by earthquakes in 1783 and 1908. The church rebuilt after 1908 moved from the original location, and was completed in 1933, using a design by Pompilio Seno, who adopted a neo-Byzantine style with Arab-Norman elements. Some elements from the destroyed Norman basilica of Santa Maria di Terreti were used.Reggio Calabria Tourism office
.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottimati Reggio Calabria Roman Catholic churches in Reggio Calabria 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy