Churches
Churches - www.genova.chiesacattolica.it
Cathedral of Genoa – Duomo di Genova www.diocesi.genova.it
The Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of Genoa is located in Piazza San Lorenzo near Palazzo Ducale and is the seat of the Archbishop of Genoa. Named after Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo), the Duomo also houses the Treasure Museum (Museo del Tesoro) with many precious religious objects, including the "Sacro Catino" which is believed to be the real Holy Grail.
Chiesa di San Donato
Located in Piazza San Donato, opposite the Palazzo Ducale, this lovely church dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries boasts a unique octagonal Romanesque bell tower.
Chiesa di San Matteo
Located at the heart of the former Doria Family fief in Piazza S. Matteo, the church’s façade is done in typically Genoese fashion, with alternating bands of black stone and white marble. Inside the church is the crypt containing Admiral Andrea Doria's tomb and sword.
San Siro
Located in the historical center near Palazzo S. Giorgio. Originally paleo Cristian (400 AD). It was a cathedral until the 9th century. Reconstructed during the Romanesque period by Benedictine monks and restored in 1570 (late Renaissance, almost Baroque). Frescoes by Carlone.
Santa Maria di Castello http://www.santamariadicastello.it/
Romanesque church under the care of Dominican monks since 1492. Located in the most ancient part of the town not far from the Medieval "Torre degli Embriaci" tower, which was constructed by Guglielmo degli Embriaci who participated in the Crusade to liberate Jerusalem in 1099.
The Anglican Church
Inside the Anglican Church in Piazza Marsala, a memorial fixes James Smithson’s contacts with Genoa for posterity. Not many in Genoa remember that James Smithson, founder of the Smithsonian Institution, thought to be born in France during the year 1765 and naturalized as a British citizen around the age of ten, died in Genoa on June 27, 1829, where he was buried in the British Cemetery. anglicanchurchgenoa.org
On November 24, 1900 a member of the British Burial Ground Association in Genoa informed Samuel P. Langley who had invested in Italian bonds for the care of Smithson’s grave, of the need to remove Smithson’s remains due to quarrying in the area. With the assistance of the U.S. Consul in Genoa, William Henry Bishop, and accompanied by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, a Regent of the Smithsonian, Smithson’s remains were brought to the U.S. in 1904. Later in the same year, Smithson’s original tomb was transferred to America, and Smithson’s Mortuary Chapel was constructed in the Smithsonian Institution Building.
Further info on James Smithson can be found on the Smithsonian’s Web site.