Santo Stefano (Genoa)
Santo Stefano ( Saint Stefan ) is a church in Genoa . Located on a hill, the building dominates Genoa's main street, Via XX Settembre . The church is considered a significant example of the Ligurian Romanesque . It was one of the house churches of the Fieschi family . Allegedly, Christopher Columbus was baptized in her , whose birthplace was in her parish.
The Church of Santo Stefano was built in the Middle Ages on the ruins of a small 5th century chapel called San Michele Arcangelo ( Saint Michael the Archangel ). The oldest document in which Santo Stefano is mentioned comes from the year 965. The present building was consecrated in 1217 by Cardinals Ugolino Conti (later Pope Gregory IX ) and Sinibaldo Fieschi (future Innocent IV ).
Significant renovation work was carried out on the church at the end of the 19th century. Some chapels of the church were demolished for reasons of space . This was necessary because of the expansion of the Via Giulia (today's Via XX Settembre ). In fact, the church building was inaccessible to the public for the entire first half of the 20th century and was not reopened until 1955, the year it was consecrated by Cardinal Giuseppe Siri .
The restoration work between 1946 and 1955, carried out by Cesare Galliano and Cesare Barontini , consisted de facto of redesigning the church.
Today the interior stands out with its 13 altars , the five large stained glass windows of the church choir and the pulpit, which is modeled on that of the cathedral of Split .
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Coordinates: 44 ° 24 ′ 22.8 " N , 8 ° 56 ′ 21.1" E