The San Carlo Church in Turin is the right one of the two “twin” churches on the Piazza San Carlo. It was built at the behest of Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy, several decades after San Carlo Borromeo, then bishop of Milan, had made a pilgrimage to Turin to pray in fromt of the Holy Shroud. The second twin church is the Santa Cristina Church.
San Carlo Church Turin
Useful information
Address: Piazza San Carlo, 1 – 10121 Torino. Phone: +39 011 5620922. Opening times: From Monday through Friday from 7:10 to 12:00 and from 16:00 to 18:30; Saturday and Sunday from 09.00 to 13.00. Ticket price: Free.
History and description
In 1578, Milan was afflicted by a plague epidemic. San Carlo Borromeo decided to make a pilgrimage to Turin, in order to pray in front of the Holy Shroud. When Duke Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia got word of this he had the Holy Shroud brought to Turin from the Sainte Chapelle di Chambery. It took the bishop and his 14 companions 4 days to walk the 141 kilometers that separate the two cities.
In 1619, at the behest of Carlo Emanuele I di Savoia, the San Carlo Church was built. It was one of the first buildings the Savoy commissioned for their baroque transformation of the city.
It is not clear who the original architect was. The 19th century facade was made after a design by Ferdinando Caronesi.
Curiosities
After San Carlo Borromeo returned to Milan, it was decided that the Shroud should remain in the Cathedral of Turin.