Santa Maria della Misericordia, Gothic church in Ascona, Switzerland

Santa Maria della Misericordia is an International Gothic church in Ascona built with pointed arches, intricate stone carving, and soaring windows that draw the eye upward. The building sits within the Collegio Papio complex, forming part of a larger ensemble of structures surrounding a central courtyard.

Founded in 1399, the church emerged during the height of Gothic architecture in the Alpine region. Over the following centuries, the structure maintained its core design while undergoing interior modifications to serve both religious and educational purposes.

The name refers to the Madonna of Mercy, to whom the church was dedicated; above the entrance portal is a 16th-century fresco of the Schutzmantelmadonna, attributed to the Maestro di San Rocco a Pallanza, a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci. The south wall holds saints painted in false arcades by Antonio da Tradate in 1506.

The church and Collegio Papio stand in Ascona's historic centre, enclosed by high stone walls; a linden-lined avenue leads to the church and cloister. The complex is a cantonal monument (listed since 1911), and a fire in 1960 damaged the college, cloister and church roof, so parts were rebuilt. The 1993 Mathis organ has 24 stops on two manuals and pedal, with short-resonator Tromboncini pipes in front of the case.

The organ, built in 1993 by Mathis Orgelbau, has 24 stops on two manuals and pedal. Its short-cupped reed pipes, called Tromboncini, stand in front of the case, and the Fiffaro stop is a rarity among Swiss organs.