Chiesa di San Cristoforo

"10/19/2025. The church of San Cristoforo is a Catholic place of worship in Vercelli, built in 1515 on the initiative of the Order of the Humiliati after the demolition of a pre-existing church dating back to the 12th century. In 1529, a contract was signed in which Gaudenzio Ferrari committed to making a wooden altarpiece to be placed on the back wall of the apse and with the same contract he also committed to frescoing the entire presbytery."

Danilo Galaxian

"Very beautiful. The frescoes are stunning. It's a shame it was dark, and to see and admire these works of art properly, the 5-10 minutes it takes to turn the lights on after inserting a coin into the appropriate device aren't enough.
The altarpiece isn't easy to admire.
Probably so the light doesn't ruin the wonderful paintings.
Beyond the paintings, the crypt, or old stone church, is very beautiful in its simplicity."

Caterina Fiorano

"Inside the Church of San Cristoforo in Vercelli there is a cycle of very beautiful Renaissance frescoes, the work of Gaudenzio Ferrari (1477-1546) who painted them between 1529 and 1534. In the chapel of the Magdalene, to the right of the presbytery, above the altar, Crucifixion and on the side wall episodes of the legend of Mary Magdalene, some panels of which were damaged by Spanish cannon fire in the siege of 1638 (Jesus preaching, Noli me tangere, Assumption of the Saint), well preserved Mary Magdalene at the feet of Jesus, Martha and Mary Magdalene at the tomb, Mary Magdalene Martha and Lazarus welcoming the princes of Marseille returning from Palestine, Death of the Saint blessed by Bishop Massimino, an angel with a long inscription that illustrates the legend and the patron, Giovanni Angelo Corradi of Lignana, portrait praying below in the crucifixion. In the Chapel of the Assumption, to the left of the presbytery, commissioned by Andrea Corradi of Lignana, are frescoes from 1533-34 with stories from the life of Mary: above the altar is the Assumption; on the side walls are Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Nicholas with two devotees; the Annunciation to Anna and Joachim; the Presentation in the Temple; the Visitation; the Birth and Marriage of Mary; the Adoration of Jesus; and the Arrival of the Three Kings. At the back of the apse is a panel from 1529 depicting the Madonna degli Aranci between Saints Christopher, John the Baptist, Joseph, Nicholas of Bari, a blessed, and the founder of the church, Nicolino Corradi. A visit is highly recommended.
Eusebius of Vercelli was the first bishop of Vercelli and a leading figure in the fight against Arianism. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church, is the patron saint of Vercelli as well as the first bishop and patron saint of the whole of Piedmont. He was also the founder of the site where the future sanctuary of Oropa would be built (near Biella) and of the Marian cult of the Black Madonna in Piedmont. According to hagiographic tradition, Eusebius was born in Sardinia, then moved with his mother and younger sister to Rome, immediately after his father's martyrdom: in the city, he was first a lector, ordained a priest by Pope Mark and consecrated bishop by Julius I (15 December 345). There is no news of his episcopate before 354, however he is officially mentioned in a letter by Ambrose of Milan, who praises him for having imposed on the clergy of his diocese the common life, as for the monks, according to the model of the Eastern churches. In early Piedmontese Christianity, Eusebius became a staunch opponent of Arianism and a supporter of the Nicene Creed. He was sent by Pope Liberius, along with Bishop Lucifer of Cagliari, on a mission to Emperor Constantius II to ask him to convene a council to put an end to the controversy between the Arians (who were supported by the emperor himself) and the Eastern Orthodox, to whom Eusebius was theologically more akin. This council was held in Milan in 355, but since the Arian bishops were in the majority, Eusebius refused to sign its final edicts. This led to a conflict with Constantius II, who was forced to exile him to the Holy Land, specifically to Scythopolis in Palestine, where he remained under the custody of the local bishop Patrophilus. A few years later he was transferred to Cappadocia, then to the Egyptian Thebaid, until 361, the year of the death of Constantius II. His successor, Emperor Julian, ended his exile and allowed him to resume his episcopal see. A visit is highly recommended."

Guido Gianinetto