Santa Chiara is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church located on Via Barbacana, 49 in the town of

Bra A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appea ...

province of Cuneo Cuneo (Italian), or Coni (Piedmontese), is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ( departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Haut ...

, region of

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The small domed church was designed by the late-

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

architect

Bernardo Antonio Vittone Parish Church of Grignasco Bernardo Antonio Vittone (19 August 1704 – 19 October 1770) was an Italian architect and writer. He was one of the three most important Baroque architects active in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy; the other tw ...

History

A community of Clarissan nuns was assembled in Bra by 1632, and were attended by a nearby church until this structure was built. Begun in 1742, it was consecrated for services by August 1, 1748. Work continued on the church until 1786. By 1802, the monastery was suppressed, and the property, including the church, was not returned to the nuns until 1816. The monastery was confiscated again in 1883. In 1930, the church was granted to the Capuchin Fathers, but finally passed to the Municipality of Bra. Santa Chiara has a four-lobed central plan set on large pillars that support a complex dome, perforated by windows. The altars were completed in the 20th century. The main altar is overlooked by a large stucco medallion depicting the ''Glory of the Eucharist'' with revering angels and nuns. The lateral altars (1943) were decorated by

Piero Dalle Ceste Piero is an Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: * Piero Angela (1928–2022), Italian television host * Piero Barucci (born 1933), Italian academic and politician * Piero del Pollaiuolo (c. 1443–1496), Italian painter * Pie ...

. The altar on the left depicts the Immaculate Conception with three Franciscan saints

Fedele da Sigmaringa Fedele is both an Italian surname and a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: People with the surname *Adriano Fedele (born 1947), Italian footballer and manager * Cassandra Fedele (died 1558), Italian scholar * Joe Fe ...

Veronica Giuliani Veronica Giuliani (also "Veronica de Julianis"; 27 December 1660 – 9 July 1727)

, and Louis King of France; on the right, St Francis of Assisi in ecstasy. Di Pietro Paolo Operti (1704-1793) painted the frescoes on the second level. The dome was frescoed by Pietro Dalle Ceste, depicting St Francis blessing Saint

Ignatius of Santhià Ignatius of Santhià (5 June 1686 – 22 September 1770), born Lorenzo Maurizio Belvisotti, was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Belvisotti made it his mission to help penitents in th ...

and Cardinal

Guglielmo Massaja Guglielmo Massaia (9 June 1809 - 6 August 1889), born Lorenzo Massaia, was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who was also a missionary and Capuchin friar. His baptismal name was Lorenzo; he took Guglielmo as religious name. His ...

. The main altar also has a painting by

Giovanni Claret Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

, depicting the Madonna with Child and Saint Joseph, with Saint Anthony of Padua, San Bernardino of Siena and San Diego d'Alcantara.City and Cathedral, regional tourism office for Piedmont and Val d'Aosta

References

{{Coord, 44.7001, 7.8533, region:IT_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Roman Catholic churches completed in 1786 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches in the province of Cuneo Bernardo Antonio Vittone buildings Baroque architecture in Piedmont Church buildings with domes