Turin Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist is one of the rare churches in the Renaissance style in the Turin area, built at the end of the 15th century on the orders of Cardinal della Rovere, replacing three earlier churches. It stands on part of the ancient Roman theatre, where a first Lombard church was probably present at the end of the 6th century.
Located a few steps from the Royal Palace, it is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, the city’s patron saint.
It houses the shroud of Christ known as the Holy Shroud. It was in fact enlarged in the 17th century with the Chapel of Guarini (accessible from the neighbouring museums of the Royal Palace) to preserve the relic given to the House of Savoy at the end of the 15th century.

Description

The cathedral’s beautiful façade is in white marble, pierced by three portals decorated with reliefs, accompanied by a brick bell tower built in 1468 that has undergone only a few modifications since.
The façade and interior of the cathedral were restored after the fire that occurred on the night of 11 to 12 April 1997, which had destroyed a large part of it. The interior notably preserves Gothic elements.
The Holy Shroud, which had been in the chapel intended to house it since the beginning of the 17th century, is now kept at the end of the left nave in a special display case, but is not visible as it is covered by a cloth that is only removed on exceptional occasions.
On the counter-façade is placed a large copy of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, commissioned in 1835 by King Carlo Felice from Luigi Cagna.
Many members of the House of Savoy established their burial place in the church, from the mid-16th century when the cathedral took over from the abbey of Hautecombe as the family necropolis.
The Diocesan Museum is located in the Lower Church, housing numerous historical and artistic remains, including those of three early Christian churches, and documents on the Holy Shroud.
The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, was the Baroque work of Guarini, circular in shape with a superb dome and beautiful decoration (see Chapel of the Holy Shroud on the Royal Museums page).

Map and address

Piazza San Giovanni, 10122 Torino

Information

• Official website: www.duomoditorino.com
• Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org