While crossing the Vittorio Emanuele Bridge, you’ll have noticed the Chiesa della Gran Madre di Dio growing ever more striking with each step. With its resemblance to a Greek temple, it certainly makes an impression, and that’s no coincidence. Commissioned in 1814, the church was built to celebrate Victor Emmanuel I of Savoy’s return from exile after Napoleon’s defeat. It was designed in homage to the Pantheon in Rome. The Latin inscription on the pediment reads, “The nobility and the people of Turin for the return of the king!” The church was later modified to include an ossuary in the basement, dedicated to the fallen of the Great War. On either side of the staircase, you’ll see two statues: one representing Religion, holding a cross; and the other, Faith, holding a chalice. But some fans of mystery and esotericism claim the latter doesn’t represent Faith at all, but rather the Madonna, Jesus’ mother, holding the Holy Grail, pointing to the place where it’s buried. At the centre stands Victor Emmanuel I himself, depicted in a ten-metre-tall statue. You’ll also notice the church doesn’t have a bell tower. But then again, temple-style colonnades don’t really leave room for bells! The church’s interior is relatively understated, though filled with sculptures and crowned by a remarkable dome, a coffered concrete ceiling pierced with a central oculus, considered a masterpiece of Piedmontese neoclassical architecture. Gran Madre remains one of Turin’s most important Catholic places of worship.