Teriasca: Chapels and Local History

Teriasca lies in a side valley. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay here, the history of the chapels and the Sori–Teriasca–S. Croce–Sori circular route offer concrete points of reference when choosing your destination. The construction history of S. Lorenzo spans permission to build, completion, and its later elevation to parish status. S. Rocco offers a different perspective: The chapel is linked to an event in Sori and can also be described in terms of its architecture. This helps you decide whether you are primarily interested in local church history, a building with a distinct history of its own, or a described route.

The Chapel of S. Lorenzo and Its History

On 27 August 1654, the residents of Teriasca and Cortino received permission from Cardinal Stefano Durazzo to build a chapel in honor of Saints Lorenzo and Terenziano. By the end of 1657, the Chapel of S. Lorenzo di Teriasca had been completed with three altars. Another ecclesiastical change followed in 1755. By decree dated 16 May, Archbishop Giuseppe Maria Saporiti elevated the Chapel of S. Lorenzo di Teriasca to parish status and dedicated it to Saint Lorenzo. The sequence of years helps distinguish the construction from its later ecclesiastical status: the three altars date to the 1657 completion, and the elevation to parish status took place in 1755.

S. Rocco: Its Origins and Architecture

The Chapel of S. Rocco stands on the road to S. Croce. The community built it in 1912 in gratitude following the cholera epidemic that struck Sori. The chapel has a single nave, a semicircular apse, and a lowered barrel vault. “Single nave” describes a church space with just one nave; an apse is a rounded termination, and a barrel vault is a lengthwise, arch-shaped ceiling. These terms help you visualize the building. By comparison, S. Lorenzo can be understood through its later status as a parish, while S. Rocco can be understood through the reason it was built and its architectural features.

A Circular Route to S. Croce

A route description for a 2024 CAI excursion gives the Sori–Teriasca–S. Croce–Sori circular route. After Teriasca, the route climbs less steeply to the colorful Chapel of S. Rocco. If you would like to include the circular route in your travel plans, check current route information and trail conditions beforehand.

Place Names as Historical Clues

Place names in the municipality of Sori also help provide historical context. Names such as “Castelli,” “Castelletti,” or “Castellari” point to traces of ancient settlements; such names are also found in Teriasca. They broaden the historical perspective beyond individual chapels: place names, as well as buildings, offer clues to the past. These clues should be interpreted differently from the history of the chapels: they point to traces of ancient settlements through place names, while the buildings are understood through their specific construction and ecclesiastical histories.

Discover more destinations: Rossiglione, Lorsica, Santa Margherita Ligure, Casella, Pegli, Mignanego, Pieve Ligure, Busalla.

For the broader travel overview: Genoa.