Chiesa di San Gregorio

The church of San Gregorio in Cherasco combines late Baroque decoration with a medieval bell tower and terracotta details from an earlier building. After its religious use declined, the church acquired a civic cultural role.

Why it matters

San Gregorio preserves a layered history of architecture, art and changing community use. Its Baroque interior reflects a major rebuilding in the late seventeenth century, while later reuse demonstrates how a historic church could be adapted to serve contemporary civic life.

What to notice

The bell tower survives from an earlier phase of the church. Horizontal bands of small terracotta arches remain on the south exterior wall. Inside, frescoes by Pozzo decorate the nave and choir, while works by Aliberti in the presbytery include the Glory of Saint Gregory and scenes of the saint's life. Chapels associated with the Salmatoris family preserve paintings, furnishings and wrought-iron gates.

Context and history

The present church is largely a rebuilding from the final quarter of the seventeenth century, with its late Baroque decoration completed in the early eighteenth century. The façade was remodelled in the nineteenth century. Many historic furnishings were removed during the twentieth century. After decades of underuse, the deconsecrated building returned to civic life as a cultural space.