Santa Rita is an ancient

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 in

Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

, Italy. While it had been initially dedicated to the saints Margherita and Pelagia; since being reconsecrated in 1929 on May 22, the day devoted to St

Rita of Cascia Rita of Cascia, OSA (born Margherita Ferri Lotti; 1381 – 22 May 1457), was an Italian widow and Augustinian nun. After Rita's husband died, she joined a small community of nuns, who later became Augustinians, where she was known both for pr ...

, the church has been affiliated with the latter saint. In 1547, the church was rebuilt using designs of Giulio Campi, who also completed fresco decoration on walls and ceiling. The frescoes depict stories of the gospels and old testament. The frescoes on the walls were transferred to canvas in 1920. The wall niches hold twelve dark

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

statues depicting the apostles, by

Antonio Campi Antonio Campi (c. 1522 – 1587) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He was born in Cremona. His style merges Lombard with Mannerist styles. In Cremona, his extended family was the foundation of the Cremonese school of painting. ...

, brother of Giulio. An adjacent building, since 1989, serves as the Bishopric's seminary. In the 18th century, restorations and decoration of the interior were completed by Giovanni Angelo Boroni and Giovanni Battista Zaist.Dettaglio delle chiese di Cremona
by Luigi Corsi, page 115-116.

References

Roman Catholic churches in Cremona 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy {{Lombardy-RC-church-stub