Why go
Its restrained neo-Romanesque frontage, slim octagonal towers and rose window express a different religious history from the nearby Savoy churches. The building also makes the 1848 change in Waldensian rights visible in stone, giving context to a walk beyond the city’s Catholic monuments.
The full story
Before 1848, Waldensians lacked the right to live and worship freely in Turin. The small community used the chapel of the Prussian embassy. A change in legal status opened the way for a public congregation, which was formally joined to the Church of the Valleys in 1849. With support from Charles Beckwith and Giuseppe Malan, the community acquired land and built the temple, inaugurated in 1853. The exterior uses a restrained neo-Romanesque language: two narrow octagonal towers flank a façade with a recessed portal, an upper row of openings and a circular rose window. The interior has three aisles divided by rounded arches, with cross vaults and a wooden pulpit at the end of the central aisle. The church’s architecture matters because it marks a move from worship in an embassy chapel to a visible place in Turin’s streets. Its design offers a useful contrast with the city’s more theatrical Baroque churches.
Useful to know
- Consult the congregation’s current information before planning to see the interior.