San Matteo Studio

San Matteo sits in Piazza San Matteo, in the heart of Genoa's Molo district, among the Doria family palaces. Entry is free, and the church is open daily. The square is one of the city's best-preserved medieval urban spaces. The church began in 1125 as a private chapel of the Doria family, founded by Martino Doria. Bishop Siro II dedicated it in 1132, the year he became Pope Innocent II. The family chose St. Matthew as its patron partly because, like some of the Dorias, he had been a tax collector. The building was rebuilt in Gothic style in 1278, with its façade set back to line up with the newer buildings around the family square. A cloister was added beside it between 1308 and 1310. Andrea Doria oversaw further work in the 16th century. The interior was remodeled in Baroque style, with changes to the nave and decoration, and additions including the chancel, dome, and crypt. Giovanni Battista Castello and Luca Cambiaso contributed to the decoration, and sources also record changes to the naves between 1557 and 1559. Conservation work followed in the 20th century, including work in 1934 and 1991-92. The 13th-century façade combines Romanesque and Gothic elements, with Genoa's characteristic alternating black stone from Promontorio and white marble. Pilasters or arches divide it into three sections, with a large central rose window and two bifora windows. Inside, three naves have Baroque decoration from the 16th-century rebuilding, including vaults, partitions, choir stalls, paintings, and sculpture by artists such as Luca Cambiaso and Giovanni Battista Castello. On the church's left is the quadrangular cloister courtyard, with pointed arches on paired double columns and a well at the center. Many Doria family tombstones line the loggia walls. Look for Luca Cambiaso's “Miracle of the Ethiopian Dragon,” Giovanni Battista Castello's “Vocation of St. Matthew,” and Anton Maria Maragliano's wooden “Deposition.” Other notable works include Bernardo Castello's “Holy Family with St. Anne” at the high altar, Andrea Doria's sarcophagus in the crypt, and Antonio Alari's Baroque organ from 1773.