The cathedral, attributed to Bishop Maximus, dates to the late 4th century.
The original plan envisaged development on a layout of three Christian basilicas, dedicated to St. Saviour, St. Mary and St. John the Baptist.
In 1490, ordered by Cardinal Domenico Della Rovere of the Lords of Vinovo, the demolition started of the three ancient basilicas and the construction of a new building designed by the sculptor and architect Amedeo da Settignano, who brought new forms of Renaissance to Piedmont. In 1491 the foundation stone was laid and on 21 September 1505 the cathedral was consecrated.
Turin, which became capital of the Duchy of Savoy in 1563, received the Shroud in 1578, and during the 17th century it was decided to enlarge the cathedral to create a worthy environment to house it. In 1667, Guarino Guarini, who was already working on the Royal Church of San Lorenzo, not far from the cathedral, was called in. In 1668, he started the construction of the Chapel of the Shroud. The dome, the work on which lasted 28 years, was completed in 1694.
The bell tower, dedicated to Saint Andrew, was built between 1468 and 1470 at the behest of Bishop John of Compeys, who belonged to a prestigious Savoyard origin family.
The cathedral was severely damaged in a fire in April 1997 which, destroyed much of Guarini’s work. The Holy Relic was saved from and is now kept in the Cathedral, in the last chapel on the left, but not accessible to the public.
