Genoa’s Medieval Churches are filled with beautiful Renaissance Art. You don’t have to visit a museum to see great art in Genoa; it’s often available in the city’s medieval churches for free (or sometimes for a small fee). Most of the art in Medieval Churches is frescoes, which are painted directly on the walls, making them very difficult to move.
Photoblog, Genoa, Italy, April 20-23, 2025
When the Renaissance began, Genoa was already a major seafaring powerhouse that rivaled Venice. They had been building medieval churches for five hundred years. During this same time, given Genoa’s wealth, it both produced Renaissance art and bought it from artists in Florence. Starting in the medieval period, the wealthy people of Genoa began building churches to both compete with their neighbors and to help prepare a clear path to heaven.
Competition with Vienna
Genoa has much in common with Vienna, except for Vienna’s many canals. Both Genoa and Vienna made their money based on seafaring and trade. Both were extremely wealthy, and, like Vienna, Genoa had multiple palaces and medieval churches for its affluent residents. As of our visit, more than 100 palaces are still in Genoa, and many of them appear to be unchanged.
Just like other cities in Europe, the wealthy funded the construction of numerous massive cathedrals and smaller medieval churches that served the local area. Wealthy citizens built both of the medieval churches I selected for their use, not for the general population.
The Cathedral of San Lorenzo
The cathedral was consecrated in 1118 and was built between the 12th and 14th centuries, designed in a medieval style with some later additions. The exterior is Gothic, while some of the interior uses a Roman style. While it started as a medieval church, the bell tower and dome were built in the sixteenth century. Most of the money associated with building and decorating the cathedral came from Genoa’s trading and the crusades.
In terms of location, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo is located next to the Doge Palace, which was the home of the leaders of Genoa. The Cathedral is in the heart of the old city of Genoa. In medieval times, the church was located on the most important street in Genoa.
My previous article was about the Doge Palace. Here is a link if you missed it. The Doge Palace and Chapel of the Doge in Genoa
The construction of this medieval church began in the twelfth century and was completed in the 17th century. Both the dome and the medieval church elements were restored between 1894 and 1900. Luca Cambiaso, known as Lucchetto da Genova, the founder of the Genoese School of art, painted many of the frescos in the cathedral.
The Holy Grail
Relics at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo include the holy grail, the cup that Jesus used during the Last Supper, and sections of wood from the cross used during the crucifixion. It appears that these relics were acquired during the Crusades, specifically during the Conquest of Caesarea during the First Crusade (1100 AD), and from the Church of Ephesus in the thirteenth century, and then given to the church.
Pictures of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo
Chiesa San Luca
The Church of Saint Luca is the church located directly behind our apartment. It, too, boasts amazing art despite being small and squeezed tightly into a medieval neighborhood. The Church of San Luca was founded in 1188 by Oberto Spinola, seventy years after the main Cathedral in Genoa. It is the Spinola family church—the family established its wealth on trading, finance, and land acquisition. The Spinolas were one of the most prominent aristocratic families in Genoa; family members served as both military leaders in wars against Pisa and Venice.
Pope Gregory VIII declared that the original church be declared a noble parish of the Spinola and Grimaldi families. Multiple Popes have confirmed its status over the years, including after the 1628 rebuild.
The church was founded in 1188 and rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1628, with a design by the Lombard architect Carlo Mutone, after the destruction of the old one that had existed there since 1188. No one knows what the 1188 church looked like. In 1628, the church was rebuilt from the ground up. There are no surviving drawings of the 1188 church.
Daniello Solaro designed the floors at the end of the 17th century. They are made of Sicilian jasper marble and white Carrara marble. The frescoes were so impressive that I forgot to take a photo of the floor.
Photos of the Church of Saint Luca
Domenico Piola or his son Paolo Gerolamo Piola, with assistance, painted the frescoes in this church. In 1690. Domenico Piola designed and painted the fresco that completely covers the interior of the Church of Saint Luke in Genoa. Paolo Gerolamo Piola was the owner of the largest painting workshop in Genoa in the second half of the seventeenth century
Antonio Haffner, a talented painter of perspective and ornamentation from Bologna, assisted Domenico Piola while painting the frescoes.
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As you are aware, our blog’s income is zero, which enables us to remain independent and tell the truth. We do not get income or commissions. No, we don’t make paid endorsements. We don’t make recommendations; instead, we will tell you what we like (or dislike). The links are only provided as a quick reference to help our readers.
Links
University of Genoa Treasure of San Lorenzo
University of Genoa, The Cathedral of San Lorenzo
University of Genoa about the Chiesa San Luca
About our photos
These photos were taken during our visit. Our photos are often “enhanced” to represent what we saw in person and correct for lighting and other things. Sometimes, this editing makes the images look better than they did in person.
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Great pictures. I was impressed when we did our tour in Europe with how they up graded and used the buildings that that had been standing for centuries. In the U.S. we tear them down and rebuild.