Santa Maria in Passione, Baroque church in Genoa, Italy

Santa Maria in Passione was a church on the Castello hill in Genoa's Molo district, built from 1457 on a 13th-century Embriaci house and rebuilt in the mid-16th century, with a Baroque interior reworking around the mid-17th century. Almost completely destroyed by the air raids of 22 October 1942 and 4 September 1944, it survives as an archaeological site; only the bell tower remained nearly intact and was consolidated and restored.

The Augustinian nuns of Santa Maria in Passione built the convent and its church between 1457 and 1462 on a 13th-century Embriaci house beside San Silvestro. The church was rebuilt and consecrated between 1553 and 1559 by bishop Egidio Falcetta, then given Baroque vaults and frescoes by Valerio Castello, Domenico Piola and Lazzaro Tavarone in the mid-17th century. Closed under Napoleonic suppression in 1797, it was later a barracks and O.N.M.I. seat, and was almost razed by the air raids of 22 October 1942 and 4 September 1944; only the bell tower survived.

The name "in Passione" refers to the Augustinian nuns of Santa Maria di Misericordia, called "Povere di San Silvestro" after moving to San Silvestro in the first half of the 15th century. Since 5 October 2014 the site has hosted La Libera Collina di Castello, an urban cultural park where students, residents, artisans and artists share work and self-govern the space.

The church no longer stands: it was almost entirely destroyed by the air raids of 22 October 1942 and 4 September 1944, and only the bell tower survived, consolidated and later restored. Since 5 October 2014 the site has been open as the Parco culturale urbano La Libera Collina di Castello, reached on foot through the streets of the Castello hill above the Molo district. Look for the archaeological area and the surviving campanile rather than a visitable interior.

The church earned recognition as Italian national heritage due to its architectural quality and historical documentation. This designation reflects both its building craftsmanship and importance to the city's past.