Chiesa della Sacra Famiglia

The Church of the Holy Family is also known as the Church of the Canossians because the convent of the Canossian sisters is located adjacent to it.
The construction of the church was determined by the settlement of the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of Canossa in Schio around the mid-nineteenth century. Work began in 1850 based on the design by Bartolomeo Folladore.
In 1864, the Canossian sisters arrived in Schio but settled in a still rough and incomplete building, made even uninhabitable for the faithful due to safety issues.
In 1899, under the direction of Gioacchino (son of Bartolomeo), construction work resumed after being halted due to lack of funds.
Within two years, the work was completed, but the facade remained unfinished due to the non-realization of the originally planned pronaos.
In October 1901, the church was inaugurated.
In the first half of the twentieth century, Saint Josephine Bakhita was hosted in the convent and church, beatified in 1992 and canonized in 2000.
The church is preceded by a small garden enclosed by a wrought iron gate.
The building, inspired by the Pantheon of Rome, has a central plan and is topped by a dome covered in copper. On either side, the two-story conventual structures symmetrically develop, rhythmically lined with rectangular windows topped by a low arched pediment.
The unfinished facade presents itself in a raw state with visible debris and stones, where, alongside the entrance portal, the two niches intended for placing statues stand empty. The rear facade features a tympanum flanked by two short bell towers.
Inside, the construction is marked by four large identical arches: one facing the entrance, the side ones dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows and to Magdalene of Canossa (defining the minor altars), and finally the one framing the presbytery with the main altar completed by a ciborium with Corinthian columns.
Above the arches, there are four niches that house other monochrome episodes of the Gospel (Nativity, Presentation of Jesus in the temple, Flight into Egypt, Saint Joseph the carpenter with the Holy Family), created by Giuseppe Mincato.
Sixteen paired Corinthian columns support the dome, which is decorated with coffers and has a circular skylight in the center.
Inside the church, there is a bronze urn containing the relics of Saint Josephine Bakhita and a tapestry from 1992, representing the Beatification of Mother Bakhita.
In the adjoining convent, there is a small museum that collects testimonies and objects that belonged to the saint.