Have you noticed how the Chiesa di San Tommaso stands gracefully at the intersection? It is nestled between Via Pietro Micca, Via San Tommaso and Via Monte di Pietà. This church is not just a building. It is a testament to Turin’s rich history and resilience.
Chiesa di San Tommaso is one of the city’s oldest religious sites. Its story began perhaps as early as the 11th century. Records first mention it in 1115. In 1351, Pietro Della Rovere was its rector. Imagine this area centuries ago. The church was surrounded by three small cemeteries. It stood between the “via dei due buoi” and the “via della barra di ferro”.
The Chiesa di San Tommaso has faced many challenges. In 1447, it collapsed and was rebuilt. By 1584, it was in disrepair for nearly a century. The Frati Minori Osservanti took over its care in 1575. They had lost their parish of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Pope Paul III formalized this arrangement in 1545. The Franciscans officially took possession in 1576.
In 1584, they started rebuilding the Chiesa di San Tommaso. Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy laid the first stone on June 19. The building was consecrated on May 8, 1621. Disaster struck in 1698. An explosion at a nearby powder keg damaged the church. The dome collapsed.
Agostino Rama began constructing a new dome in 1703. It was covered in lead in 1831. The Napoleonic government suppressed the convent in 1801. After the Savoy’s return, it was restored and enlarged. It housed about one hundred friars. The convent was permanently suppressed with the Legge Rattazzi.
The late 19th century brought a new threat to Chiesa di San Tommaso. Turin planned to build Via Pietro Micca. The church stood in the way. The city council ordered its destruction. Architect Carlo Ceppi intervened. He was designing the new street.
In 1895, the nave was demolished. Ceppi modeled the new front on the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. The floor plan changed from a Latin cross to a Greek cross. Statues of San Francesco and Sant’Antonio were moved to the new facade. The work was completed in 1897. The apse, transept, bell tower, and altar of the old church remain.
Turin residents deeply love the Chiesa di San Tommaso. Great social saints of Turin often visited it. These included San Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo and San Giuseppe Cafasso. Servants of God such as Fra Leopoldo Musso, Angela Catterina Lucia Bocchino, and Paolo Pio Perazzo were parishioners. Their remains rest in the church. In 2013, the parish was suppressed. The Chiesa di San Tommaso was annexed to the Duomo di Torino.
Look at the semicircular front of the Chiesa di San Tommaso. Carlo Ceppi designed it in 1895. It replaced the demolished nave. Notice the portal at the center. It has a rich marble frame and pediment. Above it, three elliptical windows are separated by baroque spires. The cupola has circular windows and a lantern topped with an iron cross. The bell tower stands to its right.
The inside of Chiesa di San Tommaso is frescoed. The cross vault is covered by the cupola. The transept arms have square bays with lunette vaults. The semicircular apse and front are also notable. Francesco Martinez designed the chapels beside the main altar.
The main altar was renovated in 1838. It uses marble from the old 17th-century altar. Carlo Maria Ugliengo made the walnut pulpit in 1724. The pipe organ is on the counter-façade gallery. Carlo Vegezzi-Bossi built it in 1889. It reuses the case and some pipes from the old Serassi organ.
The Chiesa di San Tommaso stands as a symbol. It represents faith, art, and the enduring spirit of Turin. Its walls echo with centuries of prayers and stories. It is a place where history and spirituality intertwine.