Cathedral of our Lady of the Assumption
As the Duomo of Savona, the Cathedral is the main place for catholic worship in the city and the mother church in the Savona-Noli diocese. Situated in the city’s historic centre, it sits on the site of an older Franciscan complex, founded in 1259. Baroque in style, it houses numerous paintings of varied provenance and a beautiful 15th century baptistry, in addition to an unusual two-sided marble crucifix, attributed to Giovanni Angelo Molinari (15th century), and a wooden sculpture of Jesus being forced to wear the crown of thorns, a masterpiece by Anton Maria Maragliano, previously kept in the church of Santa Lucia.
The decorations on the vaults and pillars date back to 1848-51 and are the work of Michele Canzio, Giuseppe Bozzano and Francesco Coghetti.
The side chapels, instead, still retain their 17th and 18th century decorations. The interiors were designed to convey a sense of grandeur and magnificence, in line with the counter-reformation climate of the time, from which they deviate in their layout, with a nave and two aisles. The presbytery features impressive wooden choir stalls, dating back to the Renaissance, made by instruction of Giuliano Della Rovere, the future Pope Julius II.
