Santi Faustino e Giovita, Brescia

Church of Saints Faustinus and Jovita
Chiesa dei Santi Faustino e Giovita
The facade
Church of Saints Faustinus and Jovita
45°32′38″N 10°13′12″E / 45.54375°N 10.220022°E / 45.54375; 10.220022
Location	Lombardy, Brescia, Italy
Address	Via San Faustino, 70
Denomination	Catholic
History
Consecrated	1142
Architecture
Style	Baroque
Groundbreaking	Probably in the 8th century. Construction of the present building began in 1621
Completed	Last interventions in the mid-18th century
Administration
Diocese	Roman Catholic Diocese of Brescia

The church of Saints Faustinus and Jovita, also known as the church of San Faustino Maggiore, is a church in Brescia, located on the street of the same name, Via San Faustino, along the last stretch to the north. It is the patron church of the city of Brescia and, for this reason, it is the most important religious building in the city after the cathedrals, the Old Cathedral and the New Cathedral.^[1]

The church, linked to the adjoining monastery founded in the 9th century by Bishop Ramperto, has its origins in a building possibly dating back to the 8th century, which has seen numerous extensions and reconstructions over the centuries, particularly the 17th-century intervention, which involved a radical renovation of the structure and decorations.

The church preserves extensive Baroque frescoes, particularly the one in the nave by Tommaso Sandrino and the one in the chancel, the Apotheosis of Saints Faustinus, Jovita, Benedict and Scholastica by Giandomenico Tiepolo. Notable works of pictorial art are also the Nativity of Jesus by Lattanzio Gambara, the Deposition of Christ by Sante Cattaneo, and the standard of the Blessed Sacrament painted by Romanino. Other works of art include the sepulchral ark of the two titular saints. Once in the church and now in the Santa Giulia Museum are the triptych of St. Honorius and the famous rooster of Ramperto.

From the religious point of view, the remains of Brescia's two patron saints, Saints Faustinus and Jovita, as well as those of St. Honorius and St. Antigius, are preserved there, making the church a point of reference for the city's devotion.