Church of Saints Faustinus and Jovita, Baroque church in Brescia, Italy

The Church of Saints Faustinus and Jovita is the patron church of Brescia, on Via San Faustino near the Garza stream. Its pale stone facade rises in stacked tiers: a dark wooden door framed by carved ornament, flanked by statue niches, with a Latin inscription above recording that Horatius Fenarolus adorned the front in 1702. A triangular pediment with a wreath separates the tiers, and a curved pediment with a small plaque crowns the top.

The site began as Santa Maria in Silva, probably built in the 8th century near the Garza stream; on 9 May 806 the relics of Faustinus and Jovita were moved there. Bishop Ramperto, elected in 815, backed a monastery there in 841 and in 843 replaced the saints' tomb with a marble ark. The church was rebuilt and consecrated in 1142, and a radical renovation followed in the 17th century.

Inside, frescoes by Tommaso Sandrino and Giandomenico Tiepolo cover the walls with religious scenes that visitors can still see today. These paintings give the interior its devotional character and show why the space remains an active place of prayer.

The church sits in Brescia's city center and is easy to reach on foot from the main squares. Since it is an active place of worship and not a museum, checking mass times before arriving is a good idea.

The bell tower next to the church dates to the 9th century and is considered the oldest surviving bell tower in Brescia. Despite work carried out on it in 1937, it has kept much of its original form.