CHIESA DELLA MISSIONE

The church originally belonged to the Jesuit order and was dedicated to St Francis Xavier. When the order was suppressed, it was entrusted to the Missionary Fathers of St Vincent de Paul and was therefore called the Mission Church.

Built between 1665 and 1678 to a design by the architect Giovenale Boetto, its construction required the demolition of the houses on the southern side of Piazza Maggiore and the six arches of the porticoes that entirely surrounded it.

It is considered one of the finest examples of Piedmontese Baroque in the area, especially in terms of the interior pictorial decoration, the work of the perspective painter Andrea Pozzo, one of the most influential of the Baroque period.

The external façade has an austere and traditional sandstone setting and accompanies the visitor towards the single central nave richly decorated in Baroque style where the pictorial elements almost blend in with the architectural ones, real or depicted.

The most striking feature, however, is the fake dome that opens up to the sky: the almost flat ceiling depicts the glorification of St Francis Xavier by Andrea Pozzo.

The church also houses the only surviving altar machine in Europe: made entirely of wood and sheet metal, it is a real theatrical device used during major celebrations, also made by Pozzo.

The building communicates externally with the surrounding environment through two scenic side staircases that make up for the difference in level of the square.