Church of Maria Ausiliatrice
Popular devotion between light and silence.
Set in a unique panoramic spot, the chapel combines architectural simplicity with the richness of its interior votive paintings.
Site overview
The chapel has a single-hall rectangular plan, covered by a pitched timber ceiling with exposed trusses.
The chapel’s interior features numerous small votive paintings. It is constructed with load-bearing brick masonry, plastered and painted both inside and outside. The roof is double-pitched and covered with clay tiles.
The façade features a gabled front, bordered on both sides by brick corner pilasters, and topped with a double-pitched cornice. At the centre is the entrance door, flanked by two arched windows, and crowned by a rose window. In the upper section of the front, three niches are present, which originally held statues.
The statue of Maria Ausiliatrice is set above the façade, within a niche set into a quadrangular volume. Two further volumes rise above the façade on either side, the one on the left housing the bell.
The building is in good condition both inside and out.
How to visit the site
The church is located at the top of Monte Castello di Givoletto, in the Santa Maria hamlet. It can be accessed by car or on foot via the Via Crucis trail, which takes about half an hour to walk. From the centre of Givoletto, after the roundabout on Via Brione, turn left onto Via S. Secondo. Proceed straight on Via Santa Maria, then make a sharp right onto Via Don Rolle and follow it to reach the church.
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