Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista

The church of San Giovanni Battista is Bra's oldest parish church, with a sixteenth-century building associated with the former church of Sant'Antonino Vecchio. Its dome and interior paintings preserve layers of the town's religious history.

Why it matters

The church has served Bra's parish community for centuries and preserves artistic references to the town's best-known religious figure, Saint Giuseppe Cottolengo. Its architectural form and twentieth-century frescoes reflect successive phases of the community's devotional life.

What to notice

The church has three aisles and side chapels beneath a double vault and an octagonal dome. Luigi Morgani's fresco cycle, painted around the mid-1920s, unifies the nave. Paintings by Agostino Cottolengo and Siffredi depict figures connected with Bra's religious history, including Saint Giuseppe Cottolengo.

Context and history

The church took shape in the sixteenth century near the former site of Sant'Antonino Vecchio. Architect Giovanni Schellino is associated with its design. Later additions enriched the building, and the interior received a major decorative campaign in the 1920s. The church remains the historic parish church of Bra and belongs to the Diocese of Alba.