Vicolo Santa Maria, 10051 Avigliana
The origins of the Church of St. Mary Major, located in the Old Town, at the foot of the castle, are uncertain. As early as the twelfth century, it is mentioned as a dependency of the Priory of St. Lawrence of Oulx. The church has undergone numerous renovations over the centuries and currently has a Baroque appearance. From the original Romanesque complex, only the base of the bell tower remains, which was reworked in a Gothic style during the fifteenth century with the application of glazed ceramic basin decorations. As mentioned, the interior underwent significant modifications starting in the fifteenth century and currently features a single nave with side chapels (built in the nineteenth century), a presbytery, and a polygonal choir.
Among the ancient furnishings preserved in the church are the eighteenth-century pulpit, originally from the former convent of St. Augustine, and the Baroque paintings depicting Stories from the Old Testament and the Annunciation, while the canvas by Giovanni Paolo Crida depicting Blessed Umberto of Savoy dates back to 1926.
The church served as a parish until 1974, the year when worship was transferred to the new Church of St. Mary Major, located in the lower town of Avigliana, near the railway station. Currently, the church hosts the Vita e Pace Cultural Center, which promoted restoration and archaeological investigations, and houses the permanent collection of bronze and plaster sculptural works by the artist Elsa Veglio Turino (1921-1986). Among the notable pieces in the collection are the Crucifixion and the Emptied Christ, both characterized by intense expressiveness.
