Description of the attraction
Church of San Giovanni Battista - Cathedral of Oneglia, one of the two main quarters of the Ligurian city of Imperia. It rises in the very center of the quarter on the square of the same name, from where the street of the same name originates. Since the square was closed to cars and given to pedestrians, it has become a real center of social life.
The Church of San Giovanni Battista was built from 1739 to 1759 by the local architect Gaetano Amoretti and was consecrated in 1762. It stands on the site of another, more ancient religious building. The temple is made in the genoese late baroque style in the form of a Latin cross - with three naves and a dome. The white façade with three portals was completed in 1832 - it was modeled on the façade of the Church of Santa Maria della Quercia in Rome. The apse of the church faces east. Next to San Giovanni Battista is an elegant bell tower built in the same style. Both buildings have recently been restored to their original colors: grayish white for the church façade and ocher yellow for the outer walls, and ocher and brick red for the bell tower walls. The dome of the church is faced with dark green enamel tiles. The church porch is decorated in the traditional Ligurian style - it is lined with black and white sea pebbles.
Inside, San Giovanni Battista is decorated with gilding and numerous frescoes - the interior of this church contrasts sharply with the interior of the neoclassical cathedral of Porto Maurizio, which is distinguished by its strict forms and monochromatic stucco moldings like marble. The church houses a number of works of art from the 18th century - the main altar of colored marble, made in 1793, carved wooden choirs, a crucifix and the painting "Madonna del Rosario" by Giovanni Battista Garaventa. One of the two marble tabernacles flanking the presbytery is a 16th century creation by Pace Gagini.
