With its bell towers and dome, this church inevitably comes into all the city views, as the hill atop which it was built is almost in the centre of Genoa, equally distant from the medieval walls and the 20th-century skyscrapers. This is one of the most significant 16th-century buildings in town, born as the church of the Sauli family and built according to designs by architect Galeazzo Alessi from Perugia – whose designs were so ambitious the church has yet to be fully completed. The austere interior of the church is in typical 16th-century style, with a grand central dome resembling designs made by Bramante and Michelangelo for Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. This church houses statues by Pierre Puget and Filippo Parodi, as well as paintings by Domenico Piola, Luca Cambiaso and Guercino. As it is one of the largest in the city, with a huge square in front of it, this is where the funerals of the famous Genoese are held. Indeed, on January 13, 1999 the church and the surrounding square were not enough to accommodate the crowds wishing to attend singer-songwriter Fabrizio ‘Faber’ De Andrè’s funeral.
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