Duomo di San Giovanni Battista

The current Duomo, first example of Renaissance architecture in Torino, was commissioned by Bishop Domenico della Rovere on the area of three medieval churches dedicated to the Saviour, St John the Baptist and St Mary.
The design was entrusted to the Tuscan architect Meo del Caprina, and it was built between 1491 and 1498. In the 17th century, the building was refurbished by Guarino Guarini, adding the chapel of the Holy Shroud which connects the cathedral to the Royal Palace. The Sant’Andrea tower, finished in 1469, was raised in 1720 by Filippo Juvarra.

The white marble finish of the facade, in which there are three elegant doors, was a break from the contemporary brick finish of other buildings. The inside, in the form of a basilica, has a Latin cross layout with three naves and Gothic elements. The side chapels enclose devotional altars; in the second altar of the right-hand nave, a polyptych of the Compagnia dei Calzolai by Martino Spanzotti and Defendente Ferrari. The side stairs at the end of the presbytery lead to the chapel of the Holy Shroud. Built between 1668 and 1694 to a design by Guarino Guarini, this is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture.