The patron of Riva Ligure is Saint Maurice, celebrated on 22 September in the parish church dedicated to him, in the old town centre. The building was constructed in the 18th century after, in 1693, Taggia — on which Riva depended — and the Republic of Genoa gave their consent to building a new temple, the previous one being considered inadequate. The latter, first mentioned in a document of 1205 and originally dependent on the church of the Nativity of Mary in Lingueglietta, is today the sanctuary of the Madonna del Buon Consiglio, to which the altars of the neighbouring towns of Pompeiana, Terzorio and Santo Stefano al Mare also remain dedicated.
In the new parish church, on the high altar, a 17th-century canvas depicting Saint Maurice is kept; beside the church stands the tomb of the poet Francesco Pastonchi. Riva Ligure's territory is also home to the archaeological site of Costa Balenae, where the widening of the coastal road between 1839 and 1840 allowed the first finds of Roman-era traces, followed by more recent excavations up to 2016.
