Ancona Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Cyriacus, was begun in 996 and completed in 1017. Excavations in 1932 found a Greek temple beneath it, and a Christian basilica was built on top in the sixth century. An enlargement around the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries produced the Greek cross plan. The article calls the style Romanesque-Byzantine with Gothic elements.
It is built of white stone from Mount Conero, with Lombard bands outside. The ogival dome over the crossing is one of the oldest in Italy, and inside, reused Roman columns carry Byzantine capitals. Giorgio da Como is credited with the portal, and Luigi Vanvitelli added the pulpit in 1739.
Giuseppe Sacconi's 1883 restoration removed later decoration to recover a medieval look. The Crypt of Tears displays the Greek temple site.
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