Chiesa di San Sebastiano

The church and cloister of San Sebastiano in Biella form a Renaissance complex begun in 1500 under the patronage of the Ferrero brothers. The cloister has housed the Museo del Territorio Biellese since 2001.

Why it matters

San Sebastiano is a notable example of Renaissance architecture in Piedmont, a region whose religious buildings are often associated with Gothic or Baroque styles. The church, convent and cloister were conceived as a coherent complex and later acquired a civic role as the home of Biella's territorial collections.

What to notice

The church and arcaded cloister form a compact composition. The façade was completed in the nineteenth century, long after the main construction campaign. The cloister now frames archaeological and art collections that present the history of the Biella territory.

Context and history

The Canons Regular of the Lateran arrived in Biella around 1498–1499. Sebastiano Ferrero and his brothers Bartolomeo and Andrea sponsored the church, whose construction began in 1500 under a master recorded as magistro Eusebio. The church was substantially complete by 1504 and the complex by 1551. The convent became the city's seminary in 1560. After the religious community departed, the spaces were adapted for civic use; the Museo del Territorio Biellese moved into the cloister in December 2001.