Description of the attraction
Basilica of Santissima Annunziata del Vastato is a cathedral in Genoa. All the splendor of the 17th century Baroque style is embodied in its decoration.
The prefix Vastato in the name of the cathedral did not arise by chance: when it was built, it was located outside the city walls, on the territory where houses and other buildings were demolished for defensive purposes. In Latin, the word "vastinium" is just used to designate a safety strip.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1520 by monks from the Franciscan order on the site where the small church of Santa Maria del Prato once stood. In 1537, work was interrupted, and resumed only at the end of the 16th century at the initiative of the Lomellini family. Taddeo Carlone was chosen as the architect for the completion.
At the very beginning of the 17th century, the new church was luxuriously decorated in the Baroque style under the direction of the architect Andrea Ansaldo, who was also responsible for the construction of the dome. The current neoclassical façade of the cathedral was created in the 1830s and 1840s by Carlo Barabino. Then, in the second half of the 20th century, restoration work was carried out within the walls of the church, since the building was seriously damaged during the Second World War.
Today inside the cathedral you can see the works of such masters of world art as Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Giovanni Bernardo Carbone, Valerio Castello, Giovanni Domenico Cappellino, Domenico Piola, Giovanni Lorenzo Bertolotti and Aurelio Lomi.
The dome is decorated with the fresco "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary" by Giovanni Andrea Ansaldo, later restored by Gregorio de Ferrari. Above the entrance at the central nave is the painting "The Last Supper" by Giulio Cesare Procaccini. All 6 chapels of the cathedral are also painted with numerous frescoes on religious subjects. In addition, inside you can see a variety of sculptural images of Madonnas and luxurious altarpieces.
