Description of the attraction
The Church of Madonna della Guardia, whose official name sounds like Santissima Maria della Guardia, is located in the Ligurian town of Alassio and is certainly one of its main religious sites worth visiting. It stands at the top of Mount Tirasso in the heart of the amphitheater of the hills that surround Alassio. This ancient church was built by vowed sailors and fishermen around 1200 on the ruins of an early medieval castle that once protected the plains below. At the same place in the epoch of Ancient Rome there was a "kastrum" - a military settlement in which soldiers lived who guarded the road passing by. Originally the church was called Stella Maris - Star of the Seas.
The interior decoration of Madonna della Guardia dates back to the 18th century. The church consists of three chapels, separated from each other by columns, and in the center of the apse stands a particularly revered marble statue of the Heavenly Guard. In the chapel in the left side aisle, you can see a wooden composition of the Madonna della Guardia, which appeared in 1490 on Mount Figogna in Genoa and is also revered by believers. The church's majestic marble altar dates from the 17th century, and the entire vault of the central nave was frescoed between 1859 and 1860 by the artist Virgilio Grana. Of particular note are the throne, which stands solemnly in the center of the presbytery, and the 19th century mechanical organ. The church itself is surrounded by a vast green park, which Alassio residents and tourists alike love to visit.
