Interesting Sites Nearby
User Reviews
The Basilica of San Gaudenzio is located on highest point of Novara. It is dedicated to Gaudentius of Novara, first Christian bishop of the city.
Novara was miraculously spared from the second plague pandemic of 1576, and in gratitude for the city's preservation, a site at the highest natural point in the city was chosen as the site for the rebuilt basilica. A Romanesque church, San Vincenzo Martire, already existed at this site, but it was mostly demolished for the new building. However, three chapels of San Vincenzo Martire are preserved in the modern building, including St. George's chapel, where the relics of Gaudentius were stored following the demolition of the original basilica.
The church was designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi, and the cornerstone was laid in 1577. The church was consecrated in 1590 by Bishop Cesare Speciano; at this point, the transept and presbytery had not even began construction. The worsening of Novara's economic situation, aggravated by various plagues and wars, halted further construction until 1626. Structural works were mostly completed by 1656.
The Basilica's campanile was built from 1753 to 1786 by Benedetto Alfieri, and rises to a height of 75 meters. The Basilica's most notable feature, its huge cupola, was completed in 1887, and a statue of Christ the Savior was hoisted to the top of the dome in the same year.
References:The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).
The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.
The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.
The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.