To fulfil his vow made to the Virgin Mary during the Siege of Turin, early in 1716 Vittorio Amedeo II commissioned the Royal Architect Filippo Juvarra to build a great Basilica on the hill of Superga, dedicated to the Saviour’s Mother.
In May 1716 they began demolishing the old church in which the King had made his vow. Juvarra designed an impressive project, but because of the shape of the hill of Superga, it was not possible to carry it out without first lowering the hill by 40 metres and buying surrounding land from private owners. On 20 July 1717, when the excavation work was over, the first stone of the grand building was laid in the presence of the Governor of Turin, representing the King. Building work began immediately after that and went on for 14 years. In 1731, with great ceremony, the Basilica was opened to the public.
The imposing building built by Juvarra on the hill of Superga is a true masterpiece of 18th century baroque architecture. The Basilica rises powerfully up into the blue sky and, as you get closer to its surrounding square, its majesty can be seen in its exterior, with its eight-column portico, topped by a magnificent dome, and flanked by two twin 60m high bell towers.
The interior is circular and the dome rests on a drum with 8 high-arched windows and 8 marble columns. The openings of the windows and the lunettes, along with the stucco decoration and coloured marble of the altars and floors, create theatrical light effects, projecting an exceptional luminosity into the temple. The main altar, whose frame was designed by Filippo Juvarra, is adorned by a bas-relief by Bernardino Cametti depicting the glorious battle for the liberation of Turin. On the right of the choir the wide sacristy lined with walnut wood wardrobes is also work of Juvarra, while on the left there is a modest chapel holding the statue of the Madonna to whom the vow was made.
According to the original project, this statue should have been on the main altar. In the four side chapels, paintings by Sebastiano Ricci and del Beaumont, commissioned by Juvarra, decorate the altars.
