Church of St. Rita of Cascia, Catholic parish shrine in Turin, Italy
The church of St. Rita of Cascia in Turin was designed by Salesian architect Giulio Valotti in a medieval Neo-Romanesque style, with three naves and a 40-metre pointed bell tower completed in 1933. A side chapel known as La Primitiva or Cappella delle Grazie stands on the via Vernazza side. The interior holds stained-glass windows designed by Valotti in 1931 and made in 1953–1955.
Don Giovanni Baloire, a military chaplain who had observed the growing Barriera di Orbassano district, pressed for a shrine there; the bishop approved the project in 1925. The municipality granted land facing the square, officially named for Santa Rita on 11 April 1928. Work began in 1927, and the masonry was finished in 1933 with the 40-metre pointed bell tower. The church was consecrated on 11 May 1957.
The church is dedicated to St. Rita, a saint traditionally invoked by worshippers facing difficult or seemingly hopeless situations in their lives. Visitors experience this devotion through daily prayers and the steady flow of people seeking her intercession.
The church faces the piazza named after Santa Rita in the Barriera di Orbassano area, with the 40-metre bell tower visible from the square. The organ, built by Zanin of Codroipo with 52 registers on four manuals, stands at the end of the left nave and is used for the International Organ Festival held annually since 1983. A chapel at the same end holds a bust of don Giovanni Baloire.
The silver statue of St. Rita carried in procession every 22 May was made by Luigi Aghemo from 200 kg of 900/1000 silver donated by the faithful between 1931 and 1933. A small chapel at the end of the left nave holds a bust of don Giovanni Baloire, the priest who pushed for the shrine.
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