According to a popular 9th century legend, the first church was built in a vineyard to commemorate a child’s vision of the Virgin Mary there. It became a parish church in 1147 and is definitely the oldest Marian site in Genoa; archives even suggest that there was a primitive church on the spot as far back as the 6th century. There is still an 11th century cloister and a12th century bell tower as well as art dating back to the medieval period. A major facelift between 1588 and 1640 redesigned the church interior completely, however, and in the 1840s the neoclassical façade was added. Important works, mostly by local artists, Lazzaro Tavarone, Andrea Carlone, Domenico Piola and Bernardo Castello decorate the Baroque interior. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:00.