So the day after the wedding, we actually went into the duomo for a field trip. This duomo has a fascinating history, which starts with the old greccos. So first, this was a Greek temple to Athena, as you can see from the first picture. The original, let me say that again, original, Greek columns are still intact, around the outside of the duomo. After the Greeks, the temple became a Roman temple. Then a Byzantine church. Then an Islamic mosque. Then a Norman church, Spanish church, French Church, Bourbon Church and finally the Duomo. It is one of the rare cases where a civilization would not knock down the old "pagan", "unholy" building, but instead transform it into their own building. Truly amazing. The picture of the painted ceiling is actually a pano (I know, I impressed myself with that one). Then you also have a shot of the main hall, as well as a comparison between some of the Greek columns and my fellow classmates. And you can't really tell in that picture. But the lower section of the column is slightly, slightly askew from the section on top of it, which was a result of the 1698 earthquake that destroyed most of Southern Sicily. That earthquake also led to the construction of the duomo's Baroque facade, as with most of the Baroque architecture here in the South, because it totally collapsed during the earthquake.
And finally, you have a picture of St. Lucia (St. Lucy). She is the patron saint of Siracusa and has a very interesting story. Besides being martyred at age 13, she was said to have been tortured, the old remove the eyes routine, but because she had pledged her life to god, he miraculously healed her eyes, which meant she could carry around her original eyes on a plate.