| Basilica of Corpus Domini | |
|---|---|
Basilica del Corpus Domini | |
 Façade of the basilica | |
  Basilica of Corpus Domini Map ofTurin | |
| 45°04′22″N7°40′58″E / 45.0728°N 7.68278°E /45.0728; 7.68278 | |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1607 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Turin |
TheBasilica of Corpus Domini (Italian:Basilica del Corpus Domini) is a Roman Catholic church inTurin,Italy, built to celebrate the "Miracle of the Eucharist" which, according to various sources, occurred in 1453 during the war between theDuchy of Savoy andFrance.
The event which led to the construction of the church occurred on 6 June 1453 during the war betweenLouis of Savoy and France. A group of French soldiers had plundered the main church inExilles, a town in theVal di Susa. On 6 June, the day ofthe Feast of Corpus Christi, they went to Turin to sell the booty. The donkey which transported thesacramental bread from the Exilles' church fell on the ground and theHoly Spirit rose and illuminated the square from the air.[1]
To celebrate the event, the painting of theHoly Name of Jesus was painted on the four gates of the city but this was deemed insufficient, and in 1509 a small chapel was soon commissioned on the present church's site. However, nothing was built until 1521, whenInnocenzo Cybo,Archbishop of Turin, ordered the construction of a small oratory byMatteo Sanmicheli. This was demolished in 1607 to make room to the modern basilica.
The design of the new church was commissioned toAscanio Vitozzi.Amedeo di Castellamonte collaborated in the designing of the façade. Works began in 1607. In 1753 kingCharles Emmanuel III of Savoy commissionedBenedetto Alfieri to restore the interior decoration and to ornament it with stuccoes.
The church has a massive façade, with six pilasters and four columns supporting theentablature, in typicalBaroque style. It is completed by statue of angels and saints byBernardo Falconi, dating to the late 17th century.
The interior has a single nave, and was largely renewed in the 18th century. The high altar is the original one, created byFrancesco Lanfranchi in 1664. The interior also houses a slab marking the exact place of the miracle.
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| Basilica and Cathedral | ||
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