Collegiata di Sant'Ambrogio

The Collegiate Church of Sant'Ambrogio is Alassio's historic parish church, combining a medieval bell tower, Renaissance slate portal and Baroque interior.

Why it matters

The church developed as the principal parish of Alassio and reflects the town's growth from a medieval fishing settlement into a larger coastal community. The present building was constructed between 1455 and 1507 over an earlier place of worship. It received collegiate status in the early seventeenth century and was granted the title of Insigne Collegiata in 1838.

What to notice

The Romanesque-Gothic bell tower is among the oldest elements. A Renaissance portal carved in dark local slate dates to 1511, while the current facade was added in 1896. The parvis of 1638 is decorated in the Ligurian risseu pebble technique. Inside, Virgilio Grana's frescoes depict the life of Saint Ambrose. The paintings include works attributed to Bernardo Castello, Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari and Giulio Benso, as well as a 1470 black-stone tabernacle and the chapel of the Madonna della Misericordia.

Context and history

A medieval parish served the settlement before rebuilding began in 1455. The present church became the parish seat in 1507. Baroque decoration was added in the early eighteenth century and the facade was renewed in 1896. The adjacent Oratory of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria dates to the sixteenth century. Sant'Ambrogio remains Alassio's historic parish church.