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Built in the 17th century, this Roman Catholic church features a baroque facade with statues.
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Reviews — 8
Beautiful. Must see.
Beautiful 😍
Wunderschöne Basilica.
Schöne Kathedrale
Beautiful church.
Very nice
East of Piazza Castello on Via Palazzo di Citta stands the votive Basilica of Corpus Domini, a Baroque place of worship that despite its polluted facade and oppressively dusty furnishings is still considered as one of Ascanio Vittozzi’s architectural masterpieces.
Extending over a corner between two medieval streets that lead to the town’s Municipio, the Church of Corpus Domini is a 16th-century single-nave temple with two side chapels and an artistic sandstone facade, neatly divided into three by decorative friezes sculpted in the stonework. The colonnaded doorway on the lower section is flanked by a pair of niches that house the statues of St Charles Borromeo and St Francis of Sales. Another pair of similar niches decorate the upper section where a wonderful arched window takes pride of place. A roof pediment complete with pointed turrets, a central coat-of-arms and an unreadable (read: heavily polluted) panelled inscription crowns the top.
The high altar sculpted out of polychrome marble is an impressive gem but unfortunately marred as a result of the lack of light in the nave. Two pairs of spiral Corinthian columns, painted black and gilded, support the choir vault behind the high altar. Look at the richly decorated tribune suspended above the altar. It is a gilded piece of embroidered craftwork inlaid with semi-precious stones and surrounded with an ornate gilded frame.
Visitors usually come here to inquire into the veracity of the legend linked to this church: the Eucharistic Miracle of 1453. It is said that on the feast day of Corpus Domini, a stolen monstrance that contained a consecrated host remained suspended in midair exactly on the spot where the church was later built.
Inside the church, mementoes associated with this miracle have been preserved and some are on display. A plaque dating back to the first half of the 18th century narrates the story in brief while a painting (by Bartolomeo Caravoglia) depicting the miracle takes centre stage in the nave. Check out the ceiling frescoes and amidst a profusion of gilded frames and stucco, you can follow step by step the various stages of the legendary miracle.
Before you step out of the church, look at the preserved monstrance behind glass on the left side of the nave near the main door. Locals say it is the original receptacle that contained the miraculous host.
Extending over a corner between two medieval streets that lead to the town’s Municipio, the Church of Corpus Domini is a 16th-century single-nave temple with two side chapels and an artistic sandstone facade, neatly divided into three by decorative friezes sculpted in the stonework. The colonnaded doorway on the lower section is flanked by a pair of niches that house the statues of St Charles Borromeo and St Francis of Sales. Another pair of similar niches decorate the upper section where a wonderful arched window takes pride of place. A roof pediment complete with pointed turrets, a central coat-of-arms and an unreadable (read: heavily polluted) panelled inscription crowns the top.
The high altar sculpted out of polychrome marble is an impressive gem but unfortunately marred as a result of the lack of light in the nave. Two pairs of spiral Corinthian columns, painted black and gilded, support the choir vault behind the high altar. Look at the richly decorated tribune suspended above the altar. It is a gilded piece of embroidered craftwork inlaid with semi-precious stones and surrounded with an ornate gilded frame.
Visitors usually come here to inquire into the veracity of the legend linked to this church: the Eucharistic Miracle of 1453. It is said that on the feast day of Corpus Domini, a stolen monstrance that contained a consecrated host remained suspended in midair exactly on the spot where the church was later built.
Inside the church, mementoes associated with this miracle have been preserved and some are on display. A plaque dating back to the first half of the 18th century narrates the story in brief while a painting (by Bartolomeo Caravoglia) depicting the miracle takes centre stage in the nave. Check out the ceiling frescoes and amidst a profusion of gilded frames and stucco, you can follow step by step the various stages of the legendary miracle.
Before you step out of the church, look at the preserved monstrance behind glass on the left side of the nave near the main door. Locals say it is the original receptacle that contained the miraculous host.
