The old church of Albisola Capo is still there, a few steps from the new one, but there are no pews inside any more: it has become a cinema and theatre. Our Lady Stella Maris replaced it in the early years of the twentieth century, when the parish of the fishermen's quarter became independent from San Nicolò in Albisola Superiore and wanted a larger building, on via Don Natale Leone, right by the beach the boats set out from. The dedication says it all: Stella Maris, star of the sea, is the Madonna anyone going out to fish commended himself to.
What to see
The plan is a Greek cross with a dome at the centre, an unusual choice for a village parish church. Outside, the dome is topped by the statue of the Madonna the church is dedicated to; inside it is painted with figures of angels. The chancel is dominated by a large canvas of the Virgin filling the whole end wall behind the high altar, and the tabernacle is the work of Giacomo Manzù: you do not often find one of the best-known Italian sculptors of the twentieth century in a seaside church.
The left transept holds the oldest piece: a wooden processional group of the Virgin and Child from the first half of the seventeenth century, brought here from the oratory of Santa Maria Maggiore. It began as a Madonna of the Rosary and only later took the title Stella Maris, which explains why the carving looks as though it belongs to another devotion. In the right transept is the altar of the Sacred Heart, crowned by a statue of Christ, and the pipe organ sits above the entrance.
Visiting
Albisola Capo is the part of Albisola Superiore that lies on the sea, and the church stands in the old fishermen's quarter, close behind the beach: it is a few minutes on foot from the promenade. The parish belongs to the vicariate of Albisola-Varazze, in the diocese of Savona-Noli, and as in every parish church the opening hours follow the mass timetable. The group of the Virgin and Child is a processional one: it was made to be carried on shoulders, not only looked at.
Our editors' tip
We suggest walking in with your eyes up, into the dome, and only then approaching the high altar: the Manzù tabernacle is small and goes unnoticed if you arrive distracted. Then the short walk to the old church, the one that ended up as a cinema, is worth it: seeing the two together is the most direct way to understand how much this village grew once it stopped living on fishing alone.