This Baroque church is located right next to the Basilica of San Silvestro on Via del Collegio and is a true highlight for anyone interested in sacred architecture and the city's history.
🏗️ Construction History
Began: 1627 by the Jesuits, who had been active in Trieste since 1619.
Consecration: 1682, although the roof was not yet fully covered at that time.
Dome: The original wooden structure was destroyed by fire shortly after its consecration. The current dome was not completed until 1817.
Facade: Probably designed by Andrea Pozzo – a master of Baroque illusionism.
🎨 Interior & Furnishings
Floor Plan: Latin cross with three naves and barrel vaults.
High Altar: Dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of Mary, flanked by marble statues of important Jesuit saints such as Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier.
Apse: With a mural of the Immaculate Conception, visually connected to the altar.
🙏 Popular Piety & Significance
The church is also known as the "Madonna della Salute"—particularly venerated since the cholera epidemic of 1849, when the population prayed for protection in a procession.
Every year on November 21st, Triestines make a pilgrimage to the church to pay homage to the "Madonna della Salute."