DUOMO DI TORINO (TURIN CATHEDRAL)
The Duomo di Torino (or Turin Cathedral) is the major Roman Catholic church of Turin. Built between 1491 and 1498, next to an earlier bell tower dated 1470, it was originally dedicated to St John The Baptist, and lies in the place where the theatre of the ancient Roman city was located. The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, the current resting place of the Shroud of Turin, was added to the structure later on, between 1668 and 1694.
A project for an enlargement of the cathedral was then launched in 1649, based on a project by Bernardino Quadri, who arrived in Turin from Rome at the court of Duke Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy. The aim of the project was to create a more luxurious seat for the Shroud. In 1667 Guarino Guarini was called to complete the project, but the works dragged on for 28 years and were finally completed in 1694 under the direction of Marie Jeanne of Savoy, Charles Emmanuel II’s widow.
