San Lorenzo

Guarini's royal church on Piazza Castello

The Real Chiesa di San Lorenzo stands on the north side of Piazza Castello, right next to the Royal Palace – it was the Savoy court church. It's easy to walk straight past it: from the outside, the building deliberately has no grand church façade and simply blends into the row of houses on the square. All the drama happens inside, and that's exactly what makes it worth stepping through the door.

It was built to designs by the Theatine monk Guarino Guarini (1624–1683) and completed in 1680, replacing an earlier chapel founded in 1562 by Emanuele Filiberto. Guarini was both mathematician and architect, and is considered one of the boldest minds of the Baroque. San Lorenzo ranks among his masterpieces: here he pushed Borromini's principles further with daring geometry and optical effects that go beyond conventional Baroque design.

The star-shaped ribbed dome

The centrepiece is the dome. Eight crossing stone ribs span the space above and form an eight-pointed star inside – an interlocking lattice reminiscent of Islamic architecture. These ribs carry the dome, and windows set between them let daylight fall dramatically into the space. An octagonal lantern sits above it all.

Just as striking is how the space transforms as it rises: the floor plan moves from a square through an octagon at cornice height to a Greek cross at the level of the pendentives. The eye is drawn upward into the dome almost without noticing – a centralised, vertically soaring space that needs no classical show-front, drawing its entire effect from geometry and light.

What to expect inside

• The richly articulated central space with high altar, organ and pulpit
• Several side chapels – including Addolorata, Crucifix, San Gaetano, Immacolata, Natività, Annunciazione and Purgatorio
• Near the sacristy, a faithful copy of the Turin Shroud; the original rests in Turin Cathedral

20 to 30 minutes is enough for the compact space. If you want to study the architecture more closely, come in the late morning or early afternoon in sunshine, when light falls through the windows of the ribbed dome – and outside the morning Mass times, when it's quietest.

Visiting and practical info

Admission is free, no ticket needed. Volunteers explain the church free of charge (Mon–Sat 9 to 12 and 15:30 to 18:00, afternoons only on Sundays and holidays); for group tours, it's best to call ahead. As in any active church, dress appropriately, and no sightseeing is possible during morning Mass – which is why the sightseeing hours differ from the church's general opening hours.

San Lorenzo sits right in the centre on Piazza Castello (Via Palazzo di Città 4). The Castello bus stop is only about a two-minute walk away (lines 11, 14, 18, 51, 55, 56, plus trams 4 and 15). From Porta Nuova station it's about 1 km, or 15 minutes on foot; alternatively take metro line 1 or tram 4 towards the centre. More on this in the guide Getting There & Around.

The visit combines well with the neighbouring Royal Palace and Turin Cathedral in one walk. If you enjoy Guarini's architecture, you'll find his equally daring Shroud Chapel at the Cathedral. For an overview of the city's best churches, see the guide Churches in Turin.