Built between 1577 and 1590 probably to a design by Pellegrino Tibaldi, the basilica stood from the beginning as an emblem of the citizens of Novara against the increasingly oppressive presence of the absolute state established by the Spanish. Completed only in the second half of the 17th century, the single-nave building has a Latin cross plan and a late Renaissance structure.

The basilica houses numerous works of art, including an ancient bishop’s chair. A silver urn containing the remains of St Gaudentius, patron of the diocese, is kept in the 18th-century scurolo. The chapel of the Nativity (second chapel on the left) houses a polyptych by Gaudenzio Ferrari. The bell tower is the work of Benedetto Alfieri (1786).

The dome, built between 1840 and 1888 by Alessandro Antonelli, is completely made of masonry and is 121 m high. At the top is a copy of the gilded copper statue of Christ the Saviour by Pietro Zucchi (1873).

Contact

Address:  Via San Gaudenzio, 22 – 28100 Novara
Tel: +39 0321 612158
E-mail:  puncnovara@gmail.com
Website:  Basilica di San Gaudenzio