{"id":1646,"date":"2026-09-27T16:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T16:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitbordighera.com\/?post_type=luogo&p=1646"},"modified":"2026-09-30T18:15:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T18:15:28","slug":"church-of-terrasanta","status":"publish","type":"luogo","link":"https:\/\/visitbordighera.com\/en\/places\/church-of-terrasanta\/","title":{"rendered":"Church of the Immaculate Conception (Terrasanta)"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Bordighera\u2019s main street, a stone\u2019s throw from the Lungomare Argentina<\/a>, rises a church unlike any other on the Riviera: two towers flanking the fa\u00e7ade, golden mosaics and a slender bell tower. This is the Church of the Immaculate Conception, which everyone in town simply calls Terrasanta, designed by Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Op\u00e9ra and the Monte-Carlo Casino.<\/p>\n

It is the church of the \u201cnew\u201d Bordighera, the town that grew up by the sea in the 19th century at the foot of the old village: a fifteen-minute stop between walks, to discover how the Belle \u00c9poque left its mark on religious architecture too.<\/p>\n

A church for Bordighera by the sea<\/h2>\n

In the second half of the 19th century Bordighera was growing fast. Next to the village of Bordighera Alta<\/a>, the seaside town of the Marina was emerging, with hotels, villas and streets frequented by English travellers. Father Giacomo Viale, a Franciscan friar and for almost fifty years parish priest of Bordighera, wanted to give this new town a church of its own.<\/p>\n

The first design, entrusted to the Sanremo architect Alessandro Cant\u00f9, was halted when Father Viale had to leave the parish. On his return, the priest turned to Charles Garnier, who had built his own residence, Villa Garnier<\/a>, in Bordighera. The land was donated in 1882 by Francesco Moreno, owner of one of the town\u2019s most famous gardens, and Garnier\u2019s first drawing is dated 30 June 1882.<\/p>\n

From the first stone to the bell tower<\/h3>\n

The foundation stone was blessed in 1883. On 14 February 1886 the church, still unfinished, was consecrated and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. Work continued for years: the bell tower was finished in 1899 and the interior decoration in 1902. Charles Garnier died in 1898 without seeing the work completed; his family helped to finish it. Later work, in 1906 and 1963, partly altered the original design.<\/p>\n

Why it is called Terrasanta<\/h3>\n

The name recalls the first missionary friars who celebrated Mass in the church, on their return from Palestine. The link with the Holy Land is in the architecture too: according to tradition, Garnier felt that Bordighera\u2019s landscape, with its palms, resembled Palestine more than Italy, and he drew inspiration from the churches of the mendicant orders there.<\/p>\n

What to see in the church of Terrasanta<\/h2>\n

The mosaic fa\u00e7ade<\/h3>\n

The fa\u00e7ade is the most recognisable part: two side towers frame it and a portico rests on a base of La Turbie stone. Above the entrance, mosaic decorations accompany a Latin inscription. The bell tower echoes the turrets of the villas Garnier designed along the coast.<\/p>\n

The single-nave interior<\/h3>\n

Inside, the church has a single large nave, marked out by pillars and arches, with wide side windows that fill it with light. The decorations were designed by the Parisian stage designer Marcel Jambon, while the dome above the altar was painted by the Parisian painter Poinsot.<\/p>\n

The works of art<\/h3>\n

The paintings in the church include the Deposition<\/em> by the Belgian painter Jules Pierre van Biesbroeck, from Ghent, and the Death of St Joseph<\/em> by Giuseppe Balbo.<\/p>\n

Father Giacomo Viale, \u201cu fratin\u201d<\/h3>\n

Born in Airole in 1830 and died in Bordighera in 1912, Father Giacomo Viale was the town\u2019s parish priest for about fifty years. Besides the church of Terrasanta he founded charitable works, including an orphanage and a home for the elderly poor. In 2016 Pope Francis declared him Venerable. In Bordighera many still remember him by his dialect nickname, \u201cu fratin\u201d, the little friar.<\/p>\n

Garnier in Bordighera: an itinerary<\/h2>\n

The church of Terrasanta is one of the stops for discovering Charles Garnier\u2019s legacy in the town. A few minutes\u2019 walk away are Palazzo Garnier<\/a>, now the town hall, Villa Garnier<\/a>, his residence overlooking the sea, and Villa Etelinda<\/a>, also designed by the French architect.<\/p>\n

Tips for your visit<\/h2>\n