Cappella dei Mercanti

Church Turin, Italy

The so-called Cappella dei Mercanti owes its construction to the Pia Congregazione dei Banchieri, Negozianti e Mercanti di Torino; it is located on the ground floor of the former Jesuit college next to the church of the Santi Martiri. The oratory was built during the rectorate of the Jesuit father Agostino Provana (1680-1726), a member of the important Provana family in Collegno, a charismatic man with excellent organizational skills. Inaugurated in 1692, the large rectangular hall was decorated in the following years thanks to the effort and interest shown by the very same Father Provana who especially summoned the painter Stefano Maria Legnani known as ‘Il Legnanino’ from Milan.