It is one of the rare churches in Christendom that does not offer the right of sanctuary: this condition was imposed by the Genoese before authorising its construction. Its imposing baroque façade looks down on a superb flight of steps.

Inside, the white walls and pilasters make the nave seem even larger than it is. Only the superb altarpiece of the high altar is richly decorated. The painting of the Virgin of Lavasina (celebrated on the 8 September) is set in an iconic-style gilded wooden glory.

This convent, the largest and richest in Corsica, was built in 1521 and deconsecrated at the beginning of the French Revolution, when it became a military hospital. Today it is disused.

A restoration project is under way, and in a few years’ time the convent should be the home of the National School of Music and Dance.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist, of imposing proportions, was built as we see it today between 1636 and 1666 on the site of an old chapel. Neo-classic in style, it is the largest church in Corsica.

The towers on the façade were added later. The one on the left was built in 1813 by a Swiss master mason, Tomaso Quadri, and the one on the right in 1864 by an architect from Bastia, Paul Augustin Viale.

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The Brotherhood of the Immaculate Conception was instituted in Bastia in 1588, and its chapel was completed to its present size by 1609.

The white marble facing which covers the façade was done in 1859, the work of Italian masons established in Bastia (Giuseppe Lucciani, Giuseppe Bertolucci and Camillo Perutelli). In the centre, the great baroque entrance in Carrare marble is older, dating from 1704.

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The cathedral of the diocese of Mariana was built at Bastia, residence of bishops, between 1600 and 1622, on the site of a church, Santa Maria della Consolazione, dating from the end of the 15th century.

This earlier church – that the people of Bastia called Santa Maria l'arrembata because it was built on a rock- was too small to contain the congregation, once Terra nova, the Genoese town enclosed in its ramparts, was built.

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The Brotherhood of Saint Roch was established in 1588.

The building w as first constructed in 1590, then the original chapel was demolished and reconstructed in its present proportions in 1604.

The façade was done later, in a neoclassical style. Four Tuscan order columns support an entablature crowned with a large triangular pediment.
The great white marble gate, topped by the pilgrims’ scallop shell, was sculpted in 1860 by the mason Giuseppe Bertolucci.

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Dedicated to Saint Pancras, this little chapel in natural surroundings has an extremely rare set of "Holy Stairs". Pope Pius VII granted this distinguished privilege to the people of Bastia in the 19th century.

See History of the Chapel in the section "Places"

The Quarter of Saint-Antoine. Capuchin Order. Dating from the 16th century, the Church of the Convent has a very fine main altar decorated with the tabernacle, which is the work of a Franciscan monk.

This convent has often served as a refuge, even as a fort. From its terrace, one has a splendid panorama over the town. Feast day - 13 June.

Founded in 1626, this old church of the Convent of the Servants of Mary actually belongs to the local population. The very active arch brotherhood of Saint Joseph occupies the premises that it has restored and continues to maintain with care.

The feast day of Saint Joseph is the 19 March. On this day, the Brotherhood walk in procession round the local area carrying the statue of the saint. Panzarotti, the traditional fritters eaten on the day are made from rice or chick pea flour.

The Annonciade district of Bastia. Inside, a very fine high altar from the end of the 18th century.

The chapel has lost its original decor. All around it, buildings have sprung up in recent years, transforming this little country chapel into an urban religious centre.

Built in 1835 in a neo-classical style, its interior decor includes several interesting 18th paintings, as well as two 17th century wooden statues.

The fine organ loft supports an interesting neo-Gothic Italian organ.

Previously occupied by the Reformed Fathers, it was successively a hospital for the poor, a home for illegitimate children and a headquarters for seconded soldiers.

The convent and the church are now home to various cultural associations of the town. The church was dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, and construction began in 1645. The various statues and paintings which decorated the church were taken to other religious buildings in the town.

The chapel of Sainte-Croix : the Sainte Croix brotherhood is the oldest in the town, existing already in the early 15th century
The chapel was rebuilt with its present proportions in 1600.

In front of the main façade, the square is decorated with a mosaic of multicoloured pebbles; it is in the Genoese tradition and was mentioned in the chronicles in 1660. It has been restored several times; in its present state it dates back to 1818. It was listed as a Historic Monument in 1931.

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