The 121-meter-high dome of the Basilica of San Gaudenzio is Novara’s landmark. The basilica was built at the end of the 16th to the middle of the 17th century. It was built by Pellegrino Pellegrini, called Tibaldi. In the 19th century it received an impressive dome in the neoclassical style with a height of 121m. The architect of the dome was Alessandro Antonelli (1798-1888). He completed the construction of the dome tower of the Basilica of San Gaudenzio in 1878. He also created the Turin landmark, the “Mole Antonelliana”.
The statue of Salvatore is enthroned on its top. Also worth mentioning is the 18th century bell tower by Benedetto Alfieri and the treasures inside the basilica. Francesco Castelli’s crypt contains the urn and the clothes of San Gaudenzio, the first bishop and patron of Novara. In the birth chapel there is a very beautiful winged altar by Gaudenzio Ferrari.