Church of Saint Clare

On the corner of Via Craveri and Via Barbacana stands the architectural jewel of the town, the Church of Saint Clare, the finest example of Piedmontese Baroque architecture. Built between 1742 and 1748 to a design by Bernardo Antonio Vittone, who conceived it in the shape of a four-leaf clover, it is surprisingly undulating on the outside and inside, decorated with stuccoes and frescoes and culminating in a complex double-shell vault with perforations that create wonderful light effects. The church was commissioned by the religious community of the Poor Clares, who had been present in the city since 1632, with a significant financial investment for the order, so much so that some of the work on its completion continued until 1786. The history of the building tells of changes in ownership and abandonment, with the last transfer to the Municipality of Bra by the Capuchin Friars. The church is a veritable masterpiece of 18^th-century Piedmontese open architecture, with its bold shapes and structure culminating in the dome and cupola. The three altars inside are the result of relatively recent restoration work, with depictions linked to Saint Clare, Saint Francis of Assisi and various figures dear to the Franciscan Order. Some of the frescoes are by Pietro Paolo Operti, originally from Bra, while the precious painting of the Madonna and Child with St Joseph, St Anthony of Padua, St Bernardino of Siena and St Diego of Alcantara, by the Flemish artist Giovanni Claret, from the church of the first nucleus of the convent of the Poor Clares, hangs above one of the altars. The choir behind the high altar is an exceptional venue for classical music concerts and is definitely not to be missed.