San Carlo Borromeo or San Carlo is a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, region of

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, Italy. It mirrors the adjacent church of Santa Cristina and faces the

Piazza San Carlo ("Charles Borromeo, St. Charles Square"), previously known as , , and , is one of the main city squares in Turin, Italy. It was laid out in the 16th and 17th century and is an example of Baroque style. The 1838 Equestrian monument of Emmanuel P ...

. The arrangement recalls the twin churches (''chiese gemelle'') of Santa Maria dei Miracoli (1681) and

Santa Maria in Montesanto Santa Maria in Montesanto is a titular minor basilica church in Rome, in the Rione Campo Marzio, which stands in Piazza del Popolo, between Via del Corso and Via del Babuino. It is also known as the Church of the Artists (). The church is pop ...

(1679) facing the

Piazza del Popolo Piazza del Popolo is a large Town Square, urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian language, Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the Populus, poplars (''populus'' in Latin language, Latin, ''pioppo ...

in Rome.

History

The church was commissioned in 1619 by

Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy Charles Emmanuel I (; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 30 August 1580 until his death almost 50 years later in 1630, he was the longest-reigning Savoyard monarch ...

, who had met the archbishop, and later saint, after which the church is named. The main designer is uncertain; the work has been attributed to both Baron Maurizio Valperga, and the engineer Galleani di Ventimiglia. The first facade was designed in 1830 to designs of Grassi. The facade bas-relief depicting ''San Carlo granting communion to Duke Emanuele Filiberto'' was sculpted by Stefano Butti. The main altar dates from 1653. Above the marble main altar is a painting depicting ''St Charles genuflects before the Sindone of Turin'' by

Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli (commonly known as il Morazzone; 1573–1626) was an Italian painter and draughtsman who was active in Milan. He is mainly known for his altarpieces, but his outstanding achievements are large decorative frescoes ...

, also called il Morazzone. In 1866, the painter Rodolfo Morgari frescoed the walls and ceiling. The church is located at the southwest end of the piazza San Carlo, where also is located the palace where Count

Vittorio Alfieri Count Vittorio Amedeo Alfieri (, also , ; 16 January 17498 October 1803) was an Italians, Italian dramatist and poet, considered the "founder of Italian tragedy." He wrote nineteen tragedies, sonnets, satires, and a notable autobiography. Early l ...

wrote his first tragedic dramas.Guida di Torino
Ermano Loscher, 1874 Turin, page 31.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlo Turin Baroque architecture in Turin Roman Catholic churches in Turin 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Charles Borromeo