The oratory has a single nave, with a small portico and a bell gable.
The Holy Crucifix, originally placed on the main altar until 1970, was relocated between 1976 and 1983 to the center of the ancient Disciplinants’ choir, between the two entrance doors.
**Description:**
There are two theories about the origin of the Holy Crucifix:
1) That it came from the East, brought by the Crusaders;
2) That it is an Italian artwork, created by a master such as Antelamo or another sculptor active in Liguria during the 15th century. Its characteristics suggest a late 14th- or 15th-century style, moving away from Eastern representation: Christ’s head is crowned with thorns, fully bowed and tilted to the right, eyes closed, and feet overlapped rather than resting side by side. The statue is made of fig wood, and the cross is a *capitata* or *immissa* type, adorned with silver ornaments (dimensions: height 3.30 m, width 2.45 m). The oratory also houses a fragment of the True Cross.
**Date of use:** Between the 14th and 15th centuries
**Image:** Statue
**Relic:** Other
**Notes on the collection:**
Only one votive tablet remains, depicting the healing of Provost Capurro.
**Types of ex-votos:** Painted tablets, Goldsmithing objects, Other
The Confraternity of St. John the Baptist in Sestri Ponente already existed in 1338, and the oratory was likely built by then. However, devotion to the Holy Crucifix dates to the late 14th or 15th century, when the crucifix itself is believed to have been made. In 1542, the relic of the True Cross was donated to the oratory. On 17/10/1810, a request was made to the Curia to declare the oratory a sanctuary. In 1811, Napoleon ceded the oratory to the Fabriceria; Archbishop Spina permitted its reopening on 20/6/1814. From 1841 to 1850, the oratory remained closed. Due to structural issues (caused by the construction of a nearby shelter in 1943 and a highway tunnel in 1963), it was closed again in 1970 and only reopened in recent years.
A tradition attributes the arrival of the Holy Crucifix to the oratory through the Crusaders. The fragment of the True Cross, however, was donated by a shipmaster who was shipwrecked on Easter Sunday (9 April) 1542, in gratitude for the confraternity’s prayers. The relic was tested by fire but did not burn and was later placed in a silver cross. The event is documented in a notarial act by Antonio Figarolo on 11/5/1589. The Archbishop’s Vicar, Friar Marco Cattaneo, affixed his seal, and the relic’s authenticity was later reconfirmed by Archbishop Salvatore Magnasco on 21/2/1879.
It was a local tradition for residents to keep a copy of the Holy Christ in their homes.
On 11/7/1382, Giambattista Natino bequeathed all his income to establish a hospital dependent on the oratory. In 1599, the Archbishop of Genoa, Matteo Rivarola, allowed women to enter the oratory during liturgical celebrations, as they had previously been excluded out of reverence for the relic. In 1632, the relic was stolen but later recovered. In 1732, the Confraternity of St. John the Baptist was affiliated with that of the Gonfalone of St. Lucia in Rome. On 20/8/1897, Monsignor Giacomo Della Chiesa, the future Pope Benedict XV, venerated the Holy Christ and celebrated two masses. In 1911, the oratory was declared a National Monument. From 16/10 to 6/11/1955, the image of the Holy Christ was displayed in the Cathedral of St. Lawrence.
**Indulgences:**
– 23/2/1804: Archbishop Giuseppe Spina granted 100 days of indulgence to those who recited three Our Fathers.
– 15/10/1820: Archbishop Luigi Lambruschini granted 40 days of indulgence on any Friday of the year for reciting three Our Fathers.
– 4/12/1852: Pius IX granted a plenary indulgence, applicable even to the deceased, for those who, after confession and communion, visited the oratory on one of the solemn Fridays in March.
– 12/2/1914: Pius X confirmed these indulgences in perpetuity.
The Confraternity of St. John the Baptist ceased on 5/1/1905.
Sestri Ponente, Genoa, Italy
