Basilica di Superga e Tombe Reali di Casa Savoia

La Basilica of Superga It was founded at the Duke’s behest Vittorio Amedeo II, as a thank you for a vote cast for the Our Lady of Grace during the’the Franco-Spanish siege of 1706. The design of the project was entrusted to Filippo Juvarra, a renowned architect from Messina in the service of the House of Savoy. After having been governed by the’Order of the Servants of Mary From 1965 to 2021, the management of the basilica and its services is now entrusted to the SERMIG’s Fraternity of Hope, who has been living permanently in the complex since 2 August 2021.

In the basement of the building is the Royal Crypt, the dynastic mausoleum of the House of Savoy. Although the idea of a family tomb had already been part of the plans of the founder, Vittorio Amedeo II, it was his grandson Vittorio Amedeo III to bring it to fruition. The works, awarded in 1774 to the architect Francesco Martinez (who was also Juvarra’s nephew), were completed in 1778. Today, the crypt, with its floor plan in the shape of a elongated Latin cross, holds 62 burials of the dynasty. The museum tour of the basilica also includes the cloister and the Hall of the Popes, which contains portraits of all the canonically elected popes throughout history.