The Church of San Lorenzo in Turin is one of the most unusual buildings in the city. Unknowing person, inattentive tourist will never guess by the appearance of the building that it is a church. The church of St. Lawrence does not have a familiar facade, only the dome "gives out" the religious structure.
However, some historians believe that the poverty of the facade is just the result of a banal lack of funds, and the architect Guarini saw for his project a luxurious exterior from inside the building. There is one more opinion: the architect had to abandon the elegant facade in order not to violate the strict lines and adjusted proportions of the Castello square where the San Lorenzo church is located
The temple was built by the Duke of Savoy Emmanuel Filibert, who, together with his ally, King Philippe of Spain II, defeated the French army on the day of St. Lawrence. In honor of the victory, both monarchs made vows to create beautiful churches.
But as such the new church the duke did not do for a number of reasons - just repaired the existing small chapel in 1562, then it was again consecrated. The building for the new church began to build only in 1634. Much of the work on the creation of the church of San Lorenzo belongs to the genius of Gvarino Gvarini. The construction ended in 1680, sponsored the work of the Order of the Theatinians, to which belonged a talented architect.
The Church of San Lorenzo is open to visitors from 7:30 until 12:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00 (weekdays), from 7:30 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 19:15 (Saturday) and from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 19:15 (on Sunday). On Saturdays and Sundays, the church has the opportunity to go on a guided tour
How to get there
The Church of San Lorenzo is located on the Place Castello , near the Palace of Madama and the Royal Palace. You can combine in one walk the inspection of several objects at once. If you want to visit the church or other attractions, you need bus routes 1a, 4a, 4r, 10g, 15g, 55, 56, 60a or tram no. 13 or 15. Get off at Castello stop
Address: Torino, Via Palazzo di Citta, 4.