Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

Here you can search for a building to visit. You can use the map find destinations, or you can use the filters to search for a building based upon what different criteria.

Refine search

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Stella

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Stella

Napoli, IT

The church of Santa Maria della Stella was built in 1571 to house an image of the Virgin previously on a hill overlooking the Sanità valley. It was rebuilt in 1587 by Domenico Fontana to larger dimensions, at the request of the Minims Fathers who owned the church and its convent. It was redesigned several times during the 17th century. Bartolomeo Picchiatti (a pupil of Fontana) began work on the marble and piperno façade, which was completed in 1734 by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. Part of the rich interior decoration was lost forever in the fire of 1944.

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Verità

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Verità

Napoli, IT

Santa Maria della Verità, or Sant'Agostino degli Scalzi, is a baroque church consecrated in 1653. Augustinian monks had the church rebuilt between 1604 and 1630 by the architect Giovan Giacomo di Conforto. The church was renovated after the earthquake of 1688 by Arcangelo Guglielmelli. Lorenzo Vaccaro (1655-1706) also carried out improvements, and in the mid-18th century Giuseppe Astarita had the floor covered with marble; a further restoration took place in 1850 under the direction of Costantino Pimpinelli. The church was severely damaged by the 1980 Irpinia earthquake and was closed for decades due to structural problems. It was also the victim of church robberies at that time, with the disappearance not only of holy water basins and religious utensils, but also of precious marble inlays from one of the altars. After decades and careful restoration, the church was reopened in 2008.

Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Penitenti

Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Penitenti

Venezia, IT

The church of Santa Maria delle Penitenti was built in 1706. The purpose of the ecclesiastical complex and the Ospizio di Santa Maria delle Penitenti attached to it was to house former prostitutes and other women who had given rise to public scandal and were in need of help, employing them in "honest work". Around 1725, the construction of the pious place began in its present form, based on a project drawn up by Giorgio Massari, who also directed the construction. The reference model was that of the church of the Zitelle on the Giudecca.

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Bellavista

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Bellavista

Napoli, IT

The church of Santa Maria Assunta di Costantinopoli di Bellavista is a small church erected in 1860 by the noble Capece Minutolo family. It was decorated with an 18th-century organ, wooden statues and works of the Caravaggio school. It was elevated to the rank of parish church in 1932 and was entrusted first to the Order of Malta and then to the Vocationist Fathers, who still manage it today.

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Castello

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Castello

Genoa, IT

Built in the 13th century, the church of Santa Maria di Castello is one of the oldest places of Christian worship in Genoa and bears witness to the Romanesque style that once prevailed in the city.

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Gesù

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Gesù

Alcamo, IT

The church of Santa Maria di Gesù was, according to some sources, founded around 1450 by Arcangelo da Calatafimi. Initially, the church was located outside the city walls, in the open countryside. Around 1500, the church gave its name to a gate in the defensive walls of the city, known as "Porta di Gesù". In 1507 the church was renovated and enlarged, and again between 1762 and 1776. In 1920, the church, formerly attached to a convent, became an independent parish. The convent was renovated in 1960, followed by another renovation in 1984.

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Loreto

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Loreto

Forio, IT

The church of Santa Maria di Loreto has existed since the 14th century when there was a small oratory dedicated to Santa Maria di Loreto. This structure was enlarged over the years, the bell tower and the clock being added in 1731 and, towards the end of the 18th century, the high altar and the interior decoration in sumptuous black and white Genoese marble were completed.

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Loreto

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Loreto

Roma, IT

The church of Santa Maria di Loreto is a Renaissance church built between 1507 and 1585 to the octagonal plan of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. The dome and lantern were completed by Jacopo Del Duca 75 years later. The church is built on the site of a former 15th-century chapel, which contained an icon of the Virgin of Loreto; the present church has retained the icon and taken its name.

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Nazareth

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Nazareth

Venezia, IT

The Church of Santa Maria di Nazareth, or Church of the Scalzi, is an early 18th-century religious building designed by Baldassarre Longhena but with a façade by Giuseppe Sardi. The church underwent a major restoration between 1853 and 1862 by the Austrian government.

Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa

Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa

Venezia, IT

The church of Santa Maria Formosa was built in 1492 according to the plans of the architect Mauro Codussi. It stands on the site of an ancient church dating back to the 7th century, which, according to tradition, was one of eight founded by San Magno, Bishop of Oderzo. The two facades were commissioned in 1542: one in Baroque style, overlooking the square next to the church, the other in Renaissance style, overlooking the canal.

Be inspired