The Early Christian Crypt of Saints Nazario and Celso nel Santuario di N. S. delle Grazie al Molo
On the slopes of Castello Hill stands the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Grazie al Molo, first mentioned in 1183, with its early Christian crypt.
A center of civil and ecclesiastical power in early medieval Genoa, the crypt, dedicated to Saints Nazzario and Celso, represents, within the Ligurian context, a rare example of pre-Romanesque architecture and a unique site in Genoa for its authenticity in that it has never undergone interventions to alter its original image.
According to tradition, the small sanctuary, i.e. the present crypt, was built on the cliff in 658 by the Lombard king Aripertus I, to whom is attributed the foundation of the nearby church of Santa Maria di Castello, while Ceschi dates the construction to the 9th century.
A capital of the 7th century is still in situ, perhaps a remnant of a primitive foundation that, with its dedication to Saints Nazario and Celso, is linked to the presence of Milanese clergy in Genoa.This place, which tradition has it as the first center for the preaching of the Gospel in Genoa, until the last century, faced the sea, inside the Seno di Giano.
Archaeological research is currently underway to study the historical archaeological site on which the current crypt was built.
In the twelfth century the church was rebuilt in Romanesque style and it is to this phase that the bell tower can be attributed, as can be seen from the type of mullioned window; a bell tower that still exists today and is inserted between civil dwellings.
The church was remodeled in 1510 by Monsignor Domenico Vaccari in the late Renaissance and Baroque style, and again in 1680.
Inside the Sanctuary, the statue of Our Lady of Grace, placed on the high altar, is of both religious and historical importance, since it is believed that it came from an Armenian church attended by Genoese in the foundations of Little Armenia (Laiazzo, Alessandretta or others) and was brought to Genoa to save it from the advance of the Turks.
The sanctuary also contains important works such as The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the Madonna” also known as “Pentecost” by Antonio Maria Piola, son of Domenico Piola (Genoa, 1654 – 1715). “Madonna with Child in Arms, St. Blaise and St. Lucy” by Paolo Gerolamo Piola (Genoa, 1666 – 1724), son of Domenico Piola.
On the right of the entrance there is a sculptural group representing “St. Catherine of Genoa with the Archangels Michael and Raphael” by the Genoese sculptor Valdieri Pestelli (Genoa 1925), On the left there is a large “Crucifix” by Vittorio Pelati (Chiari, BS 1916 – Genoa 1995) and, in the choir, the antependium commemorating the meeting between Pope Paul VI and the Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras, also by the sculptor Valdieri Pestelli.
The Santa Maria di Castello Cultural Association guarantees opening to visitors every Friday with hours 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3 p.m.-6 p.m. and the second Saturday of the month 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
