Today I will show you a real jewel located just a few minutes from Cascina 6b; it’s about the Plebeian Church of San Maurizio Canavese in the province of Turin.
Some curiosities
The church dates back to the 11th century and has a Romanesque appearance. The original building was reshaped in the 12th century with the formation of three naves and the preservation of the apse and bell tower.
Since the beginning of the 1700s, internal changes were made, such as the construction of the side altars and the moving of the main altar.
The central nave preserves a suggestive series of frescoes including a pictorial cycle in 24 episodes, created in 1495 by the Pinerolo painters Bartolomeo and Sebastiano Serra, representing scenes from the life of Christ, from the Annunciation to the Crucifixion and death on the Cross, and a series of prophets portrayed in the underarch of the chapel of the Beata Vergine del Santo Rosario (“Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary”), between the 1400s and 1500s, of very fine workmanship.
Nowadays the Church is constituted by 3 naves: the two on the sides vaulted and the central one coffered, with the apse facing east.
The nucleus of the Plebeian Church of San Maurizio Canavese is constituted by a Romanesque bell tower, dating back to the first half of the 11th century. The Church has then undergone various contaminations throughout history: the upper part of the apse and a section of high masonry on the north wall of the presbytery can be attributed to the Gothic period. It’s due to the Baroque period the recomposition of some altars and, in the 18th century, the construction of the vaults on the lateral naves and the adding of the sacristy, while between the 19th and 20th centuries the pictorial decorations in fake marble were realized.
The Church, a National Monument since 1922, was restored to its ancient splendor with a radical restoration carried out in the period 2004-2007.
How to visit the Church
The Association Amici di San Maurizio (“Friends of San Maurizio”) takes care of the guided visits of the Church:
Saturday afternoon from 15.00 to 17.00 (March-September period) and from 14.30 to 16.30 (October-February period);
On the occasion of the Percorsi di Arte, Storia e Fede (“Paths of Art, History and Faith”) event which is generally held on the 2nd Sunday of April and on the 4th Sunday of September from 10.00 to 12.30 and from 14.00 to 18.00;
On the occasion of the springs and autumn fairs which are held on the 2nd Sunday of April and on the 3rd Sunday of October from 14.30 to 18.00.
For informations and booking visits, also on other days:
email info@amicidisanmaurizio.it
phone (+39) 348 7391 656
How to reach the Church from Cascina 6b
By car: reachable in just 2 minutes. You can leave the car in the free parking adjacent to the entrance of the Church
By foot: reachable in 5-minute walk, walk along “Via Vittorio Emanuele” until you reach the intersection with “Via Carlo Angela”. Turn right alongside the Palace of Municipality, at the end of the road you’ll find the access to the path of the Church.
Clothing Kit
Casual clothes and comfortable shoes
I wish you to
ENJOY YOUR VISIT 🙂
