"Del Cristo" Church
Address and contacts
Piazzale Roversi, 4 - 42121 Reggio nell'Emilia
reggioemilia@mitropolia.eu
GiraReggio
Opening times
The church is open during the celebrations and events of the Ortodox community of Romania
How to get there
Reggio nell'Emilia - Town centre
Historical notes
A true baroque jewel, built to preserve a fresco of the sacred crucifix, painted in oil on plaster by an anonymous painter from Reggio, during the plague of 1630 - '31. The construction of the new oratory began in 1761 on a design by Giovan Battista Cattani, from Reggio, known as Cavallari. In 1763 the church was opened to worship and completed at the end of the century. Closed later, following the Napoleonic dissolution of the religious orders, it was re-opened in 1814; in the last century it underwent two schemes of restoration. The scenic facade is of particular interest; over its door there is a shaped window with a balustrade and three marble statues by the Verona painter Angelo Finali (18th century), depicting the three virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity). The interior is composed of a single space, decorated with balustrades and elegant stucco works. The altar, in 18th century stucco, is a work by the Tondelli studio. The fresco depicting the miraculous, sacred crucifix which represents "The Crucified Christ with the Grieving Virgin kneeling at his feet" is conserved in the apse.
The recent restoration works (2018) concerned the facade and brought it back to its original colours.