Civic Tower

The Augustinian Convent and the Church of Santa Croce in Varese Ligure

In 1563, in the heart of Varese Ligure, an imposing Augustinian convent complex was erected, accompanied by the refined Church of Santa Croce. The church, richly decorated, housed seven altars inside, symbolizing the devotion and sacred art of the period. The convent also included a hospital, a testament to the vocation of the religious not only to prayer but also to caring for those in need.

Suppression and Transformations

With the advent of the Ligurian Democratic Republic in 1797 and the consequent suppression of religious orders, the convent was definitively closed. The building was sold to the Ottoboni family, while the church bell tower passed to the Municipality, which transformed it into a civic tower and installed a clock.

Treasures Relocated and Religious Memory

Some of the church’s most precious works found a new home: the Crucifix is now preserved in the parish church of Comuneglia, while the statue of the Madonna of the Belt and that of the Guardian Angel were transferred to the parish church of Varese Ligure. Thus, although transformed, the complex keeps its religious and cultural memory alive in the territory.