Chiesa del Suffragio e Santa Zita, Romanesque Revival church in Turin, Italy.
The Chiesa del Suffragio e Santa Zita is a Romanesque Revival church built in 1866 on Via San Donato in Turin. Its interior has three naves, with matronea above the side aisles and a dome over the transept crossing. The white marble pulpit stands around the last pillar of the right nave, and behind the main altar is a statue of Nostra Signora del Suffragio Universale carved from a single block of Carrara marble and signed by Antonio Tortone.
Francesco Faà di Bruno founded the Opera di Santa Zita in 1859 and had the church built in 1866. He first entrusted the design to Edoardo Arborio Mella, then took over the church and bell tower himself. The tower rose between 1876 and 1881; in 1881 his Congregation of the Minime Sisters of Nostra Signora del Suffragio took its name from the church.
The double title recalls two works of Francesco Faà di Bruno: the Opera di Santa Zita, founded in 1859, and the Congregazione delle Suore Minime di Nostra Signora del Suffragio, founded in 1881, which took its name from the church. Entering on the right, a chapel holds the urn with the founder's remains and a fresco depicting him; he was beatified in 1988.
The building is located at Via San Donato 33 and welcomes visitors interested in viewing both the architecture and attending services. It is advisable to check opening hours before visiting, as they may vary depending on worship schedules.
The 83-metre bell tower has a base only five metres wide. Faà di Bruno wanted workers to see the time: a two-metre clock face at about 70 metres on all four sides. In the hurricane of 23 May 1953, which broke the spire of the Mole Antonelliana, the tower was undamaged.
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