Chieri Cathedral

The Chiesa Collegiata di Santa Maria della Scala is a late-Gothic-style, Roman Catholic cathedral located in the town of Chieri, Province of Turin, region of Piedmont, Italy.

History

An ancient church at the site had been erected by Bishop Landolfo in the 11th-century, putatively at the site of a temple to Minerva.^[1]

The present church was rebuilt in the first decade of the 15th-century initially under the patronage of the Balbi and Bertoni families.^[2] The facade has buttresses and a tall stone portal sculpted with Romanesque motifs. The interior has three naves.

Interior

The Chapel of the Blessed Virgin of the Graces (Beata Vergine della Grazie) was designed (1757) by Bernardo Vittone in order to house a venerated statue of the titular image of the Virgin (1637) by Botto. The other chapels include the Turinetti, decorated with stucco; as well as the chapels of the Crucifixa and the Corpus Domini (Eucharist), which hold 17th century canvases. In the right nave is a canvas depicting the Resurrection of Christ by Francesco Fea and a fresco depicting the Adoration by the Magi in the Chapel of the Tabussi.

In the right transept is a Renaissance style tablernacle attributed to Matteo Sanmicheli that houses an altarpiece depicting Saints Anthony Abott and Sebastian, painted by Guglielmo Caccia. The left transept has an altarpiece depicting the Trinity by Giovanni Crosio. Behind the main altar are engraved 15th-century wooden choir stalls. At the base of the belltower, in the Gallieri Chapel are a series of 13th century frescoes depicting the Life of John the Baptist. Restored in the 20th century.

The sacristy contains Renaissance furniture, and a 17th century altarpiece of the Resurrection. The adjacent baptistry has the Tana Polyptich (1503) and 15th-century frescoes depicting the Passion of Christ by Guglielmo Fantini.^[3]

References