Collegiata di San Gaudenzio, Collegiate church in Varallo Sesia, Italy.

The Collegiata di San Gaudenzio stands on a rocky spur above Varallo's Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, supported by substructures and reached by a scenographic staircase. A loggia of 28 arches encircles the building, whose lines are largely 18th-century; only part of the Romanesque bell tower survives from the 13th-century church. Inside, the Baroque single nave has 18th-century altars, two carved cantorie and side chapels.

The church is dedicated to Gaudentius, first bishop of Novara, and some sources, including the Varallo municipality, trace its origins to a pagan place of worship with first records in the early Middle Ages. A portico around the church is documented in 1248. It was enlarged and rebuilt between the 1500s and 1600s, then from 1700 to 1800 provost Benedetto Ludovico Giacobini directed further works funded by benefactors including Princess Maria Cristina Ferrero Fieschi of Masserano. The 18th-century lines dominate; only part of the Romanesque bell tower survives from the 13th-century building.

The church's name honours Gaudenzio, first bishop of Novara. In the apse stands Gaudenzio Ferrari's polyptych of 1517-20, six panels with the Madonna and Child, saints and a Pietà, held in a Baroque marble frame. A 15th-century nursing Madonna survives beside the side entrance, and Varallo's citizens commissioned a wooden crowned Virgin in 1633.

The church is generally open during daylight hours, though it is wise to check local information ahead of time since services and seasonal schedules may affect access. It sits in the town center and is easily reached on foot from most areas, making it straightforward to visit at your own pace.

The bell tower serves as a visual landmark for pilgrims approaching the nearby Sacro Monte di Varallo, creating a physical connection between this church and one of the region's major pilgrimage destinations. Many visitors find their way here partly through this sightline to the sacred mountain.