4) A CHURCH THAT COMES FROM AFAR

“The construction of the church is a direct result of the will of the population of a neighborhood without a place of worship…”

1903: on 20 March the application presented by Mr. Filippo Grossi on behalf of Mr. Giovanni Battista Parodi for the construction of a church near the San Martino bridge is approved and in September of the same year the expansion project is also approved for the building of Villa Mercede

1904: the first stone in the construction of the new church is laid, and on 8 September the resulting small chapel is blessed by the bishop of Ventimiglia Monsignor Ambrogio Daffra

1928: the church is enlarged by extending the central body towards the sea

1938: on 6 February, in the presence of the bishop of Ventimiglia Monsignor Agostino Rousset, the first stone is laid for the construction of the side nave. Designed by the architect Silvio Gabrielli, the work is carried out by the Giovanni Repetto company

1980: the new Franciscan house which consists of three floors and an attic is blessed and inaugurated…

1981: the side nave built in 1937-38 is demolished and a new side nave built. The Christmas mass of 1982 marks the first occasion of the use of the new nave.