The church of the Great Mother of God is one of the most important Catholic places of worship in Turin, a neoclassical church that was commissioned by the Decurions, or administrators of the city of Turin, in 1814 to celebrate the return of Vittorio Emanuele I of Savoy after the defeat of Napoleon.
Located in the square of the same name, it is located near the right bank of the Po river (formerly Borgo Po district), immediately facing the Vittorio Emanuele I Bridge and the central Piazza Vittorio Veneto; together with these views, combined with the view of the nearby Monte dei Cappuccini, it completes one of the most famous and evocative views of the eastern part of the center of Turin.
Completed in 1831, the Gran Madre church is of particular importance for the city, its history and its location. From an idea of the architect Ferdinando Bonsignore, its shape takes up that of the Roman Pantheon, in the neo-classical-Hadrianic style.
Between 1933 and 1940, the Church of the Gran Madre underwent some changes on the occasion of the arrangement of the Ossuary of the Fallen of the Great War. On the sides of the staircase leading to the Church there are two statues, each on a large base, there are two statues, representing Faith and Religion, made by the Carrarese sculptor Carlo Chelli in 1828, and both punctually exchanged with the figure of the Madonna .
The Faith, on the left, is represented by a woman with a braided ribbon on her chest. Also in this case, the mantle covers it entirely leaving to see, besides the face and hands, the left foot that fits the same type of sandal as the other statue, the "Religion".
With his right hand he holds an open book, while the left is raised to the sky with a chalice. To his right, a small, half-naked winged angel, standing, with a stick in his right hand, while the left is facing the woman.
Religion, on the right, is always represented by a woman with a long dress closed by a ribbon, while a mantle covers her entirely. Impassive, she looks towards the horizon and does not seem to notice the young man who is kneeling beside her, and who is holding two white stone tablets.
With his right hand he holds a large Latin cross, and he seems to have no trouble supporting it. Some traces of the Holy Grail say they can be found in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Sarzana.
Church of Gran Madre di Dio
Address: Piazza Gran Madre di Dio, 4
Phone: 011 819 3572
Site:
http://www.diocesi.torino.itLocation inserted by
Paola Bonometti