Basilica of Superga
Encyclopedia
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
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It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy by Filippo Juvarra
Filippo Juvarra
Filippo Juvarra was an Italian architect and stage set designer.-Biography:Filippo Juvarra was an Italian Baroque architect working in the early part of the eighteenth century. He was born in Messina, Sicily, to a family of goldsmiths and engravers...
, at the top of the hill of Superga
Superga
Superga is a hill situated on the south bank of the Po River to the east of Turin in north-west Italy. At 672 metres above sea level, it is one of the most prominent of the hills which form an amphitheatre around the city....
, to fulfill a vow the duke (and future King of Sardinia) had made during the Battle of Turin
Battle of Turin
The Siege of Turin was undertaken by the Duke of Orléans and Marshal de la Feuillade between May and September 1706 against the Savoyard city of Turin during the War of the Spanish Succession...
. The architect made allusions to different earlier styles while adding a baroque touch. The church contains the tombs of many of the princes and kings of the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
, including the Monument to Carlo Emanuele III (1733) by Ignazio Collino
Ignazio Collino
Ignazio Collino was an Italian sculptor, active in the late-Baroque period, mainly in the region of the Piedmont.Along with his brother, Filippo Collino , Ignazio worked in a restrained formal style, intermediate between Baroque and Neoclassicism...
and his brother Filippo. Under the church are the tombs of the Savoy family, including most of its members (among them, King Charles Albert). This church by Juvarra is considered Late Baroque-Classicism. The dome was completed in 1726 and resembles some elements of Michealangelo's dome at St. Peter's cathedral. This is no coincidence as Juvarra studied and worked in Rome for ten years prior to working in Turin. The temple front protrudes from a dome structure citing the Pantheon. The temple from is larger than typical proportions because the Superga is set upon this hill. It is also believed that Victor Amadeus wanted the basilica to rest on this hill as reminder of the power of the Savoy family as well as continue a line of sight to the existing castle in Rivolli. Later, the Stupinigi, will complete the triangle between the three residences of Savoy.
The complex can be reached on foot or with the Superga Rack Railway
Superga Rack Railway
The Superga Rack Railway is a mountain railway line in the city of Turin in Italy. Managed by Gruppo Torinese Trasporti, it connects the Turin suburb of Sassi to the Basilica of Superga at an altitude of 672m...
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The mountain at which the Basilica is found was the site of the Superga air disaster
Superga air disaster
The Superga air disaster took place on Wednesday, 4 May 1949, when a plane carrying almost the entire Torino A.C. football squad, popularly known as Il Grande Torino, crashed into the hill of Superga near Turin killing all 31 aboard including 18 players, club officials, journalists accompanying the...
of Grande Torino football team in 1949.
Further reading
- Padre Benedetto Marengo, La Basilica di Superga. Cenni storici del più grande monumento juvarriano, Tipografia Scarafaglio, Torino, 1997
- Reina Gabriele, Guadalupi Gianni, Superga segreta. Il Mausoleo dei Savoia, Omega, 2008, ISBN 8872415284