Chiesa di San Martino

The church of San Martino in Asti combines a Baroque interior with a medieval bell tower. Its dome is decorated with Giancarlo Aliberti's fresco of the Glory of Alessandro Sauli.

Why it matters

San Martino was once one of Asti's most important churches and preserves a long religious history, with documentary references reaching back to the ninth century. Its present Baroque form reflects the work of the Barnabite fathers, while the surviving tower and the literary recollections of Vittorio Alfieri connect it with the city's earlier history.

What to notice

The single barrel-vaulted nave widens around a Greek-cross space, with side chapels and a broad presbytery. Aliberti's dome fresco depicts the Glory of Alessandro Sauli; other works include frescoes of the Flight into Egypt and Adoration of the Magi. The medieval bell tower was raised by an additional storey in 1781. Walnut sacristy furnishings are attributed to Antonio Manzone.

Context and history

A deed from 886 is among the early records associated with the church. Augustinian canons of Oulx held it in 1168, and Barnabite fathers arrived in 1605. The church was rebuilt in Baroque form beginning in 1707, though sources give a wider range for the work. The Barnabites remained until 1987. The façade was restored in 1889, and statues of Saints Philip and James were brought from the Certosa di Valmanera. Vittorio Alfieri recalled the church in his memoirs.