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Turin Cathedral

Turin's Renaissance cathedral, home to the closely guarded Holy Shroud and Guarini's Baroque dome chapel.

  • Turin
  • Church
Plan your visit
Where
Turin
Best for
Home of the Holy Shroud
Allow
30 minutes
Tickets
Free

Turin's cathedral is the city's only Renaissance building, raised between 1491 and 1498 in white marble that looks understated next to Guarino Guarini's soaring Baroque dome, built between 1668 and 1694 to crown the Chapel of the Holy Shroud behind it.

The cloth itself, a 14-foot linen some believe wrapped Christ's body, spends nearly all its time locked inside a climate-controlled case that pilgrims view only through glass. A 1997 fire badly damaged the chapel and several artworks. Public expositions, called ostensioni, happen only when the Pope, the Shroud's legal owner, calls for one, most recently in 2015, so most visitors come to pray rather than to see the relic itself.

Four things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The Chapel of the Holy ShroudGuarino Guarini, 1668-1694

    Guarini’s black-marble chapel and its honeycomb dome; the Shroud itself is kept in a case and only shown at rare expositions.Behind the sanctuary

  2. The Renaissance facadeAttributed to Meo del Caprino, 1491-1498

    White marble, plain and proportioned; it is the only Renaissance church front in Turin.Piazza San Giovanni

  3. The Juvarra bell towerFilippo Juvarra, 1720

    Raised in Baroque style by Juvarra, it gives the Duomo its skyline profile.Beside the cathedral

  4. The Crispin and Crispinian polyptychGiovanni Martino Spanzotti, 1498-1504

    A late-fifteenth-century Piedmontese altarpiece, a quiet rival to the Shroud’s crowds.Inside the cathedral

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Tickets
Free
Booking
No booking needed
Time needed
30 minutes
Best time
Midweek mornings, and check for rare public Shroud exposition dates
Getting there
The Duomo stands behind Piazza Castello in central Turin, a short walk from Porta Susa and Porta Nuova train stations, both also served by Turin's metro Line 1.

Entry to the cathedral and the Shroud chapel viewing area is free. The separate Museum of the Holy Shroud (Via San Domenico 28), run by the Centro Internazionale di Sindonologia, charges €8 (reduced €6, children 6 to 12 €3). As in any Italian church, cover your shoulders and knees, and expect the nave to close to sightseeing during Mass.

If the chapel viewing window is crowded, watch the video panels along the Duomo's left aisle instead: they explain the Shroud's disputed history better than a glimpse of its case ever could.

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Good to know

Can you see the Holy Shroud at Turin Cathedral?

Not normally. It is kept in a climate-controlled case and shown to the public only at rare expositions called by the Pope. Most visitors come for the chapel, the cathedral and the story.

How long should you spend at Turin Cathedral?

About 30 minutes inside. Add time for the adjacent Roman theatre and Porta Palatina, which are just next door and show Turin’s Roman layer.

Is Turin Cathedral worth visiting?

Yes, mainly for the Shroud story and Guarini’s dome, which you can also see through the Royal Museums. The building itself is calm and modest, good for a short, contemplative stop.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

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