The abbey church of Santo Stefano

Situated on a hill overlooking the central Via XX Settembre, the Abbey Church of Santo Stefano is an ancient monument and one of the most significant examples of Romanesque architecture in Genoa. According to local tradition, both Christopher Columbus and Balilla – the boy who allegedly sparked the 1746 riot against the Austrians – were baptised in this church. Though it suffered from the modernisation of the city and the bombardments of the Second World War, it remains an iconic landmark of the San Vincenzo area.

History of the Church and Monastery of Santo Stephano.

In the 5th century, a small church dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel stood on the site. Bishop Teodolfo of Genoa initiated the construction of a new church and abbey in 972 to remedy the destruction caused by a Saracen raid in 934. From the 11th century onwards, wealth flowed into the monastery, which began to own vast territories along the Ligurian coast, especially through the donations of Countess Adelaide of Susa. It became a parish after 1054 and was rebuilt in 1217 following the model of the abbey church of Bobbio. It was reconsecrated by Cardinals Ugolino Conti (future Pope Gregory IX) and Sinibaldo Fieschi (future Pope Innocent IV), and the church was gifted a relic of Saint Stephen’s arm contained in a Byzantine silver casket.

The abbey started to decline in the 15th century. It became a “commenda” – entrusted to laics – then in 1530 was entrusted to the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, close to Siena. In 1535, the old buildings of the monastery were demolished and rebuilt in the mid-17th century at a higher elevation. In the church, a new floor was constructed above the ancient mosaic one, causing the crypt to disappear.

At the end of the 19th century, the area was deeply remodeled. The expansion of the Via XX Settembre required the demolition of the cloister, the monastery buildings, and even the chapels on the right side of the church, which gave it its asymmetrical look. Moreover, the nearby Porta degli Archi was dismantled and the slope connecting the churchyard to the street below was removed, replaced by the Monumental Bridge. In the meantime, significant restoration works were carried out by architect Alfredo d’Andrade. In 1904, a new church in a Romanesque-inspired style was built next to the old one. However, it was irreparably damaged during the bombardments of 1942 and 1943, while the old church lost half of its facade and much of its roof. The abbey church was renovated between 1946 and 1955.

Architecture and artworks of the church.

The church has a rectangular floor plan, with a single nave and a raise presbytery, above a crypt. The dome, rebuilt in brick in 1306, by Abbot Niccolò Fieschi, is octogonal. The bell tower´s lower section is of uncertain date, though it is believed to predate the church and originally served as a watchtower.

The crypt, below the choir, is likely the original core of the small church of Saint Michael and one of the most interesting element of the church.

Some elements of the medieval cloister, notably fragments of its columns and Romanesque capitals, were salvaged and are now preserved in the Museo di Sant’Agustino.