Envision Carlo Emanuele III placing the first stone. It happened on May 13 1732. We are standing before the Chiesa della Madonna del Carmine. This church is a Catholic place of worship in central Turin. It stands at the corner of Via del Carmine and Via Bligny.
Filippo Juvarra designed it. Construction took place between 1732 and 1736. The Chiesa della Madonna del Carmine has a rich history. The Carmelites needed more space. Their old convent at the Church of Santa Maria di Piazza was too small. They bought new land in 1718. Construction of a new convent began. Gian Giacomo Planteri was the architect.
In 1728, Archbishop Francesco Giuseppe Arborio di Gattinara ordered a new church built. King Carlo Emanuele III approved Filippo Juvarra’s design in 1732. The first stone was laid with great ceremony. The inscription read: “Ecclesiae Beatae Mariae Virgini de Carmelo – primum lapidem – Carolus Emmanuel Rex Sardiniae – XIII Maii MDCCXXXII”. Juvarra could not oversee much of the construction. He was called to Lisbon to build a new Royal Palace. The Carmelites chose Giacomo Pella to complete the work.
The church was consecrated on April 26 1736. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. Later, the dedication included Blessed Amedeo IX of Savoy and Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi. Carlo Pattarelli completed the facade between 1871 and 1872.
During the night of August 8 1943 a bombing caused severe damage. A gap opened between the second and third chapels. The wooden choir was destroyed. The church was completely restored under the supervision of the Sovrintendenza ai Monumenti. Photographic evidence aided the restoration. It reopened on October 19 1955.
The Chiesa della Madonna del Carmine has a single nave. It features three chapels on each side. Oval openings let light in through gallery windows. Arches separate the chapels from the nave. Wood statues by Stefano Maria Clemente adorn these arches. Clemente also created a beautiful baptismal font.
Benedetto Alfieri completed the main altar in 1763. It holds a relic of Blessed Amedeo IX. Carlo Emanuele III donated it to the Carmelites in 1739. Carlo Beaumont painted the large icon in the apse in 1755. It depicts the Madonna del Carmine and Blessed Amedeo IX of Savoy. Corrado Giaquinto painted the altarpiece in the chapel of the Immaculate Conception. It shows the Immaculate Conception with the Prophet Elijah. Giuseppe Turinetti di Priero commissioned it. Giaquinto prepared it in Rome. It arrived in Turin on July 12 1741.
The Chiesa della Madonna del Carmine is one of Turin’s brightest churches. Large windows sit above the chapel altars. The nave ends in a semi-elliptical apse. Tribune decorate the intercolumns.
The bell tower stands near the sacristy. A narrow spiral staircase provides access. It was built in 1734 with a square base. Its faces are undulating at the bell level. Alessandro Bianco of Turin originally cast ten bells in 1764. The French occupation reduced them to three. In 1911 parishioners offered a new set of six bells. Giuseppe Mazzola cast these in E flat 3.
Carlo II Vegezzi-Bossi built the organ. It replaced the original one destroyed in the bombing. The organ has three keyboards and electric transmission. It features 49 registers. These are divided among the keyboards and pedal board. The organ has about 2750 pipes.
The Romanian Catholic community of Turin is present here. Don Miclăuș Gelu founded it in 1997. The community shares the Chiesa della Madonna del Carmine with the Italian parish. The Chiesa della Madonna del Carmine stands as a testament to faith art and resilience.