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ORATORY OF THE CONFRATERNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

This building dates back to the very beginning of the 17th century. Its walls are upholstered in velvet following a Genoese tradition while the remaining decorations show both the wealth of the "Terra Vecchia" neighbourhood and the influence of Italian artists on Bastia's culture.
The confraternity of the Immaculate Conception was founded in 1588. The building used as a chapel was finished in 1609. The façade is decorated with a baroque portal, dated 1704, and a coating of Carrara marble slabs, set in 1858 and 1859. Inside, the walls are hung with silk damask and the pilasters are covered with Genoese velvet. The use of textile wall-covering in the churches of Bastia is a Genoese tradition, introduced by Governor Filippo da Passano, as early as 1589. The decoration of the vault dates back to the 17th century. It was restored and completed in 1855 by a team of Italian painters led by the Florentine Bernardo Francesco Sieni. The structured high altar piece, with high monolithic columns was carved in 1624. The altar table was made again in 1763. The picture on the altar was painted in 1869 by Léon Olivié, after a model by Murillo. The silver half-moon which decorates the last step of the altar is a candlestick that was only used for important celebrations. Made in silver by the Siennese goldsmith Gaetano Macchi in 1856-1857, it weighs 65 kg. The side altars in polychrome marble were erected in 1764. To the right hand side, a painting on wood, Christ’s bearing of the Cross, dates back to early 16th century. To the left, a painting by Ange Varese, who lived in Bastia, made in 1885, represents Saint Philip Neri and Saint Francis of Assisi at the feet of Saint Joseph.
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