A visit to the Royal Basilica of Superga on the outskirts of Turin, Italy — home of the famed shroud many accept as a first-class relic of the Easter miracle — is a chance to gaze upon a vista Pope Pius XI called “the most beautiful view in Europe.”

A tram from downtown Turin crosses the River Po to the Sassi railway station. The sparkling building and well-landscaped grounds include a small museum of Turin public transport and a great view of the basilica atop Superga Hill — 2,194 feet up.

The journey begins aboard a historic funicular railway that began running in 1884. The 1934 carriage models climb more than 1,000 feet and afford stunning views of the entire city and snow-capped mountains that encircle it.

A shrine to the Blessed Mother has long stood on Superga Hill; later came a chapel built by the Turin City Council. The latter fell into disrepair by 1461; it was razed and replaced with a church with a bell tower. In 1624, the city erected a wooden statue of Our Lady. It would soon prove miraculous. The present basilica, which took 14 years to build, was completed in 1731.

The yellow circular building, with its central blue dome and flanking spires, is reached by stairs leading to a columned portico. Behind the church is an attached monastery originally built in 1736 for a congregation that had been founded by Victor Amadeus II, duke of Savoy. Today it's home to a community of Servite priests and brothers.

Though the city is always busy with tourists, the tranquility of the basilica invites prayer — or at least a brief expression of thanks to God for creating such natural beauty and inspiring such a magnificent structure.

Inside, my eye was drawn to the main altar and wooden altar railing underneath the grand cupola. Ringing the church are ornate side chapels whose seclusion heightens the sanctuary's mystery and grandeur.

A sign before the altar points to the Chapel of the Vow, which holds the ancient statue Victor Amadeus prayed before. In a room left of the main altar, the statue stands behind glass in a baroque altarpiece. Our Lady stands in a gorgeous red and gold imprinted gown with a lovely floral mantle spread to either side. One hand holds the baby Jesus, while her other is outstretched in a queenly, yet pleading, manner. A portrait of the duke vowing to build a great shrine to Mary if she would aid him in protecting the city rests above the entrance on the opposite wall. (Obviously, the Blessed Mother came through for the duke.)

Coming out of the chapel, my breath was taken away at the main altar's historic, marble bas-relief showing the liberation of Turin. Two tiny cherubs bear a golden wreath over Our Lady's head as she looks down on Amadeus of Savoy. Cherubs encircle them, while at his feet the angels of France and Piedmont fend for the royal crown. The battle scene — Turin's final siege — is depicted below.

Side chapels are dedicated to such notables as St. Charles Borromeo and Blessed Margherita of Savoy, with paintings by Turin artist Claudio Beaumont. My favorite was the chapel of Our Lady's Nativity, after which the church is officially named. It contains a lavishly detailed, lovingly rendered re-creation of the familiar Christmas events in Bethlehem, carved in Cararra marble by Agostino Cornacchini.

The view from Superga's dome is nothing less than entrancing. Jean-Jacque Rousseau described it this way: “I have before me the most beautiful spectacle given to human eye to see.” To each side, the city stretches out flat and relatively featureless — up to the point where the streets and buildings top and the hills begin. These rise higher and higher until they're finally overshadowed by soaring white peaks of the Alps.

A Royal Clan's Crypt

Directly below, the hills of Sassi stretch out to the Po, which curves its way through the closer edge of town. The visible funicular winds its way up the track then disappears again among the pines.

Along a shady path behind the basilica is a memorial dedicated to the 31 locals who died in a plane crash here just after 5 p.m. on May 4, 1949. The Turin soccer team was returning home in dense fog after an amicable match in Lisbon. The plane crashed into the backside of the mountain, into a supporting wall of the basilica garden. An oval stone monument marks the spot, listing the departed under a marble cross. Annually on the anniversary, a Mass is said in the basilica and absolution given at the crash site.

A visit to Superga would not be complete without seeing the Royal Crypt, which houses tombs of the Savoy family, the dynasty that reigned here for generations. Lined with colored marble floors, exquisite ceilings, intricate sepulchers, statues and a splendid bas-relief by famous artistans, the Royal Crypt is a treat for history buffs, pilgrims and vacationers alike.

Charles Emanuel I, great-grandfather of Victor Amadeus II, conceived the idea of a family crypt fabricated beneath the basilica but died before seeing his vision realized. Victor Amadeus II planned the crypt, yet it was only completed by his grandson, Victor Amadeus III. Amadeus III officially opened the crypt in 1778, then started moving the remains of his relatives to this one location. (They were interred in churches and monasteries throughout Italy and France.)

How I wished to linger after the tour, examining the monuments, statues and bas-relief in more detail. Learning about Italian history and architecture in the crypt, and seeing the unforgettable view from Superga dome, put Turin into perspective: Had the beloved shroud never been so closely associated with this city, it would be just as wonderful a place of prayer and pilgrimage.

Mary Soltis writes from Parma, Ohio.