Church of Gran Madre di Dio

The Church of Gran Madre di Dio, dedicated to Mary, Mother of Jesus (Great Mother of God), is a Neoclassical church in Turin, located in Piazza Gran Madre di Dio, on the eastern bank of the Po River.

SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF GRAN MADRE DI DIO

The church was built to celebrate the return of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Savoy on May 20, 1814, after the retreat of Napoleon’s army and the end of the French domination.

The project was entrusted to Ferdinando Bonsignore, the official architect of the court of Savoy, who designed the structure in Neoclassical style, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.

The first stone was laid by Vittorio Emanuele on July 23, 1818. The construction of the church was then interrupted for about a decade, and resumed only in 1827, under the reign of Carlo Felice.

The church was inaugurated in 1831 under the reign of his successor, Carlo Alberto.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE CHURCH OF GRAN MADRE DI DIO

The church rises above the surrounding square thanks to a high base consisting of a wide staircase. At the end of the staircase, there is a large pronaos, consisting of six front columns.

Inside the pronaos, there are two other columns, one on each side, flanked by three pillars leaning against the walls. The columns and the pillars have Corinthian capitals, and the pronaos as a whole gives the structure a Neoclassical aspect.

On the high pediment, there is the tympanum carved with a marble high relief attributed to Francesco Somaini, which depicts the Virgin with Child.

Under the pronaos, on the sides of the portal, there are two niches containing statues of Saint Mark the Evangelist on the right, with the Gospel in his hand and a foot above the lion, by Giuseppe Chialli, and of Saint Charles Borromeo on the left, work of Giuseppe Bogliani.

At the base of the staircase, there are two statues representing Faith and Religion, made by the sculptor Carlo Chelli in 1828. In front of the staircase, there is also a 10-meter high statue of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Savoy, the work of Giuseppe Gaggini.

The interior of the church is very simple, with a single circular nave. The main altar is placed to the east in a semicircular apse, and is characterized by two large columns in red porphyry.

Of considerable importance is the sculptural apparatus of the interior, in which the sculptors Angelo Bruneri, Giuseppe Bogliani, Carlo Caniggia, Giuseppe Chialli, Antonio Moccia and Andrea Galassi participated.

The most important part of the church is undoubtedly the dome, characterized by five orders of octagonal coffers of decreasing size decorated in stucco. The structure is entirely made of concrete and has in the center a circular oculus of over three meters in diameter.

HOW TO GET TO THE CHURCH OF GRAN MADRE DI DIO

The Church of Gran Madre di Dio is located about 1.9 kilometers away from the Porta Nuova railway station and about 3 kilometers away from the Porta Susa railway station.

The closest tram and bus stop is Gran Madre Cap, located near the church, on the tram Line 13 and bus Line 13 Navetta.