The chapel of the Genoese in the parish of Santa Cruz in Cadiz

The chapel of the Genoese was founded in 1487 in the Catedral Vieja (Old Cathedral) of Santa Cruz of Cadiz (photo), on the initiative of the Genoese merchant Francesco UsodimareA merchant and navigator of Genoese origin, Francesco Usodimare settled in Cadiz, even though he spent a few years in Lisbon, where his brother Antonio Usodimare, who was also a merchant, resided. The two brothers were known for their trips to the Canary Islands and Africa, where they arrived in the second half of the fifteenth century to buy slaves.. Dedicated to Saints Mary and George, the patrons of Genoa, it was the  place of burial and celebration of festivities of the Genoese in Cadiz. Over time it was necessary to replace the altarpiece, in 1651.  In 1671 the spectacular Genoese chapel of the parish of Santa Cruz, an ancient cathedral of the city, was inscribed. The splendor of the materials used for the altarpiece of the chapel – jasper, alabaster and marble from CarraraIs a type of white marble extracted from fields in the province of Massa-Carrara, Tuscany. The Romans were the first to exploit it and made the most use of it. In the Early Modern period, marble therein extracted was converted into a luxurious material which was greatly appreciated. – was proof of the wealth enjoyed by the community of Genoese merchants and bankers who worked at Cadiz and who wanted to build the chapel. The monumental size and the use of polychrome marbles bring to mind the Italian altarpieces of the first half of the seventeenth century. The decorative elements can be traced back to the Baroque style for the use of Solomonic columnsThe Solomonic column is a typically Baroque column with a twisted stem. It spread to Europe in the second half of the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century. The name refers to the biblical wording relating to the columns of the Temple of Solomon. typical of the second half of the seventeenth century. It took twenty years to finish the chapel (1651-1671), the construction of which the Genoese “Nation” entrusted to two famous sculptors of the city of San Giorgio, the cousins Tommaso and Giovanni OrsolinoThe Orsolino cousins were Genoese sculptors, although from a family of Lombard origin, who were distinguished for their skill in marble during the seventeenth century. Their skill was based on a very simple technique and decoration, which brought out the colour and texture of marble., who worked together since 1646. The imprint of Genoa is observed not only in the marble used, but also in the references to religious iconography with the four Ligurian sculptures depicting the patron saints of Genoa: Saint George, Lawrence, John the Baptist and Bernard. The four statues are from the eighteenth century, in separate chapels of the Catedral Nueva. At the center of the altarpiece stood the Virgin Queen of Genoa and, flanking the double gable, is the image of the Eternal Father with two angels at his sides.

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