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Saint Charles church was originally connected to the Jesuit convent and was dedicated to the founder of the order,St Ignatius de Loyola.

The Jesuit convent of Bastia was built in 1612 but its church was only completed in 1635. This church is the first existing building to be dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who died in 1556 and was canonised in 1622. In 1769, when Corsica was incorporated into the French state the Jesuits were driven out of the island by order of Louis XV. The brotherhood of Saint Charles Borromeo, whose oratory had been destroyed by the Genoese in 1747, requested the right to use the church. The building was granted to them and its name changed. The baroque style façade draws on Roman Jesuit churches. On the right, a white marble statue representing Saint Francis Xavier adorns the façade. This work of art, which had been commissioned from the renowned sculptor Tommaso Orsolino and paid for by Francesco Canari, a wealthy notable from Bastia, arrived in Bastia in 1666. In the left alcove, stands a statue of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, which was offered in 1708 by Gerolamo Veneroso, the Genoese governor of Corsica and future doge of Genoa. The interior design of the church has retained its original stucco, which dates back to the 17th century as well as remarkable works including the painting on the high altar (1688), the processional statue of Our Lady of Lavasina (end of the 18th century) and the organ (1748). In this church, were buried some great figures including Monsignor Giovanni Mascardi, bishop of Nebbio (died 1646) and Domenico Maria Spinola, Genoese governor of Corsica (born 1666, Bastia; died 1743, Bastia). The latter was crowned doge of the Republic of Genoa and ruled this state from 1732 to 1734.

Bastia

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