Astronomical Clock of the Cathedral of Messina

The great clock of Messina:The bell tower of the Cathedral of Messina is 60 m high and contains the biggest and the most complex mechanical and astronomical clock in the world. Designed by the firm Ungerer of Strasbourg for the Archbishop at the time, Mons. Angelo Paino, the clock was inaugurated on August 13th, 1933. At noon a complex system of counterweights, leverages and gears, determines the movements of the 54 gilded bronze statues located in the façade overlooking the square. One can climb the tower (5€) for an wonderful view of Messina

Phenomenal! Largest astronomical clock! Amazing to be able to walk up and see all the inner working pieces, gears, chains and motors. Gotta be there at noon for the big tower show.

If you're not afraid of heights you definitely should go see this! The views are beautiful!! The clock mechanism as you make your way up is so freaking cool to look at. Don't get stuck inside when the bells ring! My wife counted 27 flights of stairs to the top. There's not an elevator.

Lovely both inside and out, day and night. Very close to the cruise ship pier.

Most of the noon time show . The square was full of onlookers. Takes 10 minutes for the show. There are Nice parts to the tower almost 100 years old. Nice surprise to view with hundreds of onlookers enjoying the show

So close to the port our cruise docked that we walked to get here. We waited til 12 noon to see the display on the clock tower. There were so many people waiting. It was a music and some movements from the tower display. A bit underwhelming, there was no story behind the presentation, some sound effects like the cockerel but no story telling. The church itself was ok but can be hectic once the presentation was over and everyone went inside the church. The shop nearby was tiny but the surrounding souvineer shops and restaurants were packed with tourists.

Lot’s of steps but worthy since it give you an amazing 360 degrees view of the city!

The church is beautiful, unfortunately I did not have enough time to see their museum right beside the church but still, I spared some time to go up the clock tower. Entrance fee was 5 Euros. You can see the beauty of Messina from the four corners of the clock tower when you reach the top of the clock tower. I do not advise to go up when there is a lot of tourist going up because it can be crowdy due to only one staircase used in going up and down of the clock tower.

Refer to my other prior Mediterranean cruise reviews of Kusadasi, Ephesus, Galataport Istanbul, the Sultan Ahmet Camii - Blue Mosque, the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpent Column and the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul. This was also our first time to visit Messina, Sicily, Italy. Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, is located just off the "toe" of Italy's "boot." Messina Cathedral, locally known as the Duomo di Messina or the Basilica Cathedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Messina, Sicily, Italy. Formerly the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Messina, it became in 1986 the archiepiscopal seat of the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela. In June 1947 Pope Pius XII granted it the status of a minor basilica. Built by the Normans, it was consecrated in 1197 by the Archbishop Berardo. Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor and Constance I of Sicily were present to witness the ceremony. The current building is the final result of some twentieth-century reconstructions, which took place following the disastrous earthquake that struck Messina in 1908 and the considerable damage that resulted from the heavy aerial bombardment in World War II. Only the perimeter walls, the Gothic portal and an apse remained standing after the catastrophic earthquake which also destroyed surrounding edifices in Piazza Duomo. In 1943 incendiary bombs fell on the restored roof destroying much of its interior. Only an original mosaic and statue survived. The cathedral includes a two story museum. This Catholic cathedral has a unique large mechanical clock featuring the noontime movement of bronze statues with a roaring lion and music. It attracts a large crowd at noontime. See my pics and videos to appreciate this historic Roman Catholic cathedral. We took our tour bus back to our cruise port. Our next port of call is Napoli or Naples, the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of almost 1 million.

I am not a religious person, but even I could appreciate the beauty and incredible design and structure of Duomo di Messina. Located in a large square this giant tower and cathedral sits in the open with a show at noon every single day. We came here on Thursday and got to witness that show in person it was a spectacle I'm glad I got to see. The lion on the top roars, music echoes from the tower, and the little men walk around all during a 12 minute performance. After watching the show (and purchasing a magnet) I ventured inside of the church and was not expecting the ceiling to be as detailed and articulate as it was. The church itself was beautiful and filled with hand painted and crafted structures that I'm sure were just as old as Italy itself (you get what I mean). Overall, If you find yourself crossing into Messina and have the chance to see the noon performance, I would definitely recommend checking it out, It's a beautiful site.

Very beautiful! This is also where all the hop on hop off buses are, and many people selling souvenirs.

Our group stopped at the Cathedral I'm Messina. It can only be called Spectacular . It is well worth a visit inside and out! The inside is very large with a spectacular organ. They were preparing for a funeral so we only had a few minutes for our visit. I hope to go back and hear music in side the Sanctuary.

The Duomo is a short walk from the cruise terminal which makes it easy to find, precarious traffic not withstanding It's peaceful and calming inside. No pews, just folding chairs but soul soothing all the same. We admired the ornate interior with various sculptures. Afterwards, we walked past the solitary Statue of the Immaculate di Marmo outside. The Fontana di Orion, founder of Messina, as carved by a Michelangelo's disciple, looking neglected is nearby. Around the corner is the town square where we encountered a number of panhandlers and aggressive vendors selling souvenirs. The front of the cathedral connects to the famous mechanical astronomical clock tower. Our afternoon visit timing was inopportune since it's way past the glorious noon display of all moving parts. In a short time we covered all the major highlights accessible on foot. Overall, the gritty, industrial feel of the surrounding area was a turnoff, especially under the hot blazing sun. Shops were not open; we surmises probably because it's around 2 in the afternoon siesta time. We hastily retreated back to the comfort embrace of our cruise ship.