Sanctuary of the Passion of Torricella Verzate

Perched on top of a hill which is volcanic in origin, the church dedicated to the nativity of the Virgin was built on the site of an earlier medieval castle called Torre Saracena or Torre Paterna which is now no longer extant with a drawbridge and ravelin.

The Sanctuary of the Passion in Torricella Verzate, built and blessed in December 1768, is shaped like a Greek cross, of composite Corinthian order, and is "aedificata supra firmam petram," meaning it has no foundations. From the main entrance, the richness of the friezes and the main altar in marble are noticeable, while turning your head, you can see the organ built by the renowned Lingiardi brothers. The main altar is preceded by two smaller side altars: both in marble, the one on the left hosts a statue of the Madonna with Child, while the one on the right holds the figure of the dead Christ, a work by a monk from Pavia. The main altar is topped by a small temple supported by six marble columns, on whose dome are placed eight Angels in the act of adoration and triumphantly presenting the Cross.

To the left and right of the presbytery are two rooms: one is used as a sacristy, while the other was recently transformed into a small chapel for weekdays. Here, in addition to a painting of the Nativity, marble and granite surround the reliquary containing a fragment of the True Cross. Outside the Sanctuary, the stations of the Via Crucis are placed, depicting the events of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The chapels are symmetrically arranged and contain 52 life-sized statues, as well as bas-reliefs and paintings.