St. Nicholas of Myra Cathedral, Lungro, Baroque cathedral in Lungro, Italy

St. Nicholas of Myra Cathedral is a Baroque church in Lungro with an ornate facade decorated with detailed carvings and architectural features typical of 18th-century Italian Baroque style. The building rises from an elevated position overlooking a central square in the town.

Construction began on 21 December 1722 with Neapolitan craftsmen, and the foundations were laid about a year later. The church was built on the ruins of a 1547 structure, opened for worship and elevated to cathedral in 1822, and structurally completed in 1825. The bell tower was finished in 1916, and in 1919 Pope Benedict XV established the Eparchy of Lungro.

The name honors Saint Nicholas, a figure revered across both Eastern and Western Christian traditions. The cathedral serves as the spiritual center for the local Albanian Catholic community that gathers here for worship and religious observance.

The cathedral sits on Via De Rada in central Lungro on elevated ground and is easily reached on foot. Visiting in the morning or early afternoon provides the best light for viewing the architecture and surrounding square.

The central dome holds a mosaic of Christ Pantocrator covering about 120 m², made by Albanian artist Josif Droboniku, who also created the Last Judgment mosaic above the main door. The apse mosaic of the Mother of God, completed in 1982 by Augusto Ranocchi, shows her enthroned with Archangels Gabriel and Michael, King David and the Prophet Isaiah.