Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Chiesa della Natività di Maria Santissima) is a church located in Via Ammiraglio Giovanni Bettolo, in Bogliasco.

SHORT HISTORY

A church dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary existed in Bogliasco Alto since the 12th century. The church was mentioned for the first time in a document dated December 3, 1182.

The church was elevated to the title of parish in 1576. During the 17th century, various restoration works were carried out on the ancient religious building.

The decision to build a new church in Bogliasco Basso was taken in the first half of the 18th century, and the design of the architect Giovanni Antonio Ricca was chosen.

The works were started in 1731 and, by 1736, all the side altars were completed. One year later, in 1737, the entire building was finished. The church was consecrated on October 12, 1794, by the Archbishop of Genoa Giovanni Lercari.

During the 19th century, the church underwent some restoration works, such as the frescoing of the vault in 1884 by the painter Virginio Grana and the changing of the wooden choir in 1742 by Andrea Bocciardo.

ART

The church houses works of considerable value, such as the crucifix of Anton Maria Maragliano and the painting attributed to Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari.

The main altar, built between 1782 and 1783, is the work of the sculptor Bernardo Mantero, the same who made the floor of the presbytery. The new altar of the presbytery was carved in 2001 by architect Matteo Ferrari. The altar was consecrated on 15 September 2001 by the Genoese archbishop Dionigi Tettamanzi.

We can also find in the church works by the painters Anton Maria Piola, Gio Agostino Ratti, Carlo Giuseppe Ratti, Francesco Pascucci, Melchiorre Jeli and Raimondo Sirotti.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located about 110 meters away from the Bogliasco railway station. To find the church on foot, use the map below.