Chiesa del Luogo Pio, Former church in the Venezia Nuova district, Livorno, Italy
Chiesa del Luogo Pio is a deconsecrated baroque church on Piazza del Luogo Pio in Livorno's Venezia Nuova district. Its weathered ochre-yellow facade rises to a gabled top crowned by a metal cross, with a rectangular window and a carved stone plaque above a curved pediment and double wooden doors. The interior measures about 18 by 9 metres, with stucco decoration, a tribune over the entrance and an apse closing the nave.
The building was constructed between 1713 and 1715 by architect Giovanni del Fantasia and originally served as part of an orphanage complex for young girls in the city. Its purpose evolved over time until it became integrated into the municipal cultural system.
The name Luogo Pio comes from the orphanage for poor girls that stood beside the church. From 2012 the deconsecrated building returned to the municipality and became a hall for contemporary art installations, conferences and art meetings within the Museo della Città, inaugurated on 30 April 2018 together with the nearby Bottini dell'Olio. In summer it also hosted events of the Effetto Venezia festival.
The building sits in a pedestrian area that once served as parking until 2020 and now welcomes foot traffic. Its location near the Bottini dell'Olio museum makes it easy to visit multiple cultural sites during one outing.
The grates along the nave let the orphan girls of the Case Pie follow services without being seen by the congregation. The church also held the tomb of its architect, Giovanni del Fantasia, but it was desecrated during the Second World War.
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