The "Cantonal" Churches
Together
with the birth of the three quarter confraternities, the "cantonal"
churches rise: the church of St. Marta of Molinatto quarter (Confraternity
of Mercy), the church of St. Felice of Ritania quarter (Confraternity of
Trinity) and the church of the Immaculate Conception of Piatonia quarter
(Confraternity of Immaculate Conception).
Each
of these churches becomes a specific place of worship for the quarter itself.
The church of St. Marta, dedicated also to St. Rocco, St. Giovanni decapitated
and St. Celestino, stands in the characteristic piazza Matteo Pescatore
(Matteo Pescatore Square), beside the historic Boggio house. They started
building it probably around the end of 15th century, together with the
constitution of the Confraternity of Mercy, but the subsequent changes
give it the today's 15th-16th century aspect. Inside it some paintings,
of Grassi the author, and an elegant wooden altar stand inside of the apse.
The church of St. Felice, dedicated also to St. Lorenzo and to the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross, is located at the "Pont Nariana" (Nariana
Bridge). It was built, as a result of the minutes of constitution of the
Confraternity of Ritania in 1599, on the basis of a previous building placed
"(...) in the nicest place of the "borgallo" (quarter) of
Ritania, separate from other buildings, and with a square on the eastern
side (...)". It presents a very poor external façade, in comparison
to the internal Baroque decoration. The church of the Immaculate Conception
appears at the central via Dante (Dante Street), near to the Sangiorgese
Town Hall. Built in first Baroque style, it hosts a valuable collection
of antique paintings, besides the precious main altar