The Dorias completed their settlement in the Oltregiogo by opposing the Spinola and seeking with the support of Luca Doria, lord of Lerma to create a Doria state.

There was a war with the Republic of Genoa, as the Dorias allied with the Visconti and Spinola families and attacked and captured Tagliolo Castle.

As the Dorias are about to storm Voltaggio there is the reaction of the Republic of Genoa, which condemns the Marquis of Lerma to death and confiscation of property.

Mornese Castle has undergone many influences over time and has been involved in countless wars both directly and indirectly.

The castle stands on a knoll called Borgoalto a nucleus of dwellings connected to the castle moto suggestive.

Today’s appearance dates back to the 18th century, a time when it was intended as a stately country residence.

With the castles of Montaldeo, Casaleggio Boiro, Silvano D’Orba, Lerma and Tagliolo, it forms a small Genoese school.

It was the first mother house of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, a congregation founded by St. Mary Mazzarello together with St. John Bosco.

Until the mid-1960s it housed the Orphans of the Carabinieri.

There is an ancient entrance that wedges between the houses, where Don Bosco first passed on December 13, 1867, invited by Don Pestarino, parish priest of Mornese.

Next to it is the Chapel where the institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians was born in 1872 where 11 novices in the presence of Don Bosco, Don Pestarino and the Bishop of Acqui made their religious profession.

The first oratory dedicated to the Virgin was erected here, and in the 1500s it became a parish in place of the Church of St. Sylvester, which was located outside the village.

Works

Presbytery floor with black Lavagna stone;

Statue of St. Sylvester in the center, with St. Joseph on the right and St. Guido on the left;

Statue of St. Nicholas of Tolentino;

Baptismal font by sculptor Antonio Bacci;

Late 18th century altarpiece of the baptism of Jesus;

Altarpiece of the Virgin of the Suffrage from 1681;

Crucifix above the altar from 1746;

Wooden choir dating from 1830;

On the right, the second altar is dedicated to St. Mary Mazzarello, the saint of Mornese, which was erected on the occasion of her beatification in 1938.

In the basement of the parish church, the permanent St. Sylvester’s artistic Nativity scene can be visited.

Moving characters with day-night effects.

The adjacent rooms display nativity scenes made and donated by Salesian Sisters from various countries around the world.

Next to the parish church is the oratory.

After being, briefly, a parish church with the title of St. Mary’s, it was transformed into the Venerable Oratory in 1602.

There are countless frescoes by the painter Muratore di Novi and in the cupola The Assumption.

The altar was renovated in 1890, while the Statue above it is a 17th-century statue of the Immaculate Conception.

There is also an 18th-century processional crucifix and a two-faced gonfalon by the painter Santo Panario, a famous portrait painter.

In the hamlet of Mazzarelli is the Birthplace of St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello where she was born on May 09, 1837.

It is a small stone house, where inside there is an altar with a balustrade from the primitive Borgoalto College Chapel where Don Bosco had celebrated Mass, for the first time in Mornese.

The shrine that includes the birthplace of St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello was consecrated on August 09, 1972.

The urn with the saint’s remains on that occasion was brought to Mornese, from the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, and returned there for the last time in 2002.

The Shrine is visited by thousands of faithful from all over the world and is a destination place from all over the world for spiritual exercises.

Blessed on May 24, 1843, it was built by the Mazzarelli people who strongly wanted it to honor Our Lady.

They dedicated it to Mary Help of Christians and Saints Stephen and Lawrence in thanksgiving for the protection they received during the severe cholera epidemic between 1835 and 1836.

It is located on the border between Mornese, Parodi Ligure and Montaldeo.

It is a stopping place for tourists who frequent the area.

It has a nice porch that welcomes those arriving by whatever means and in case of rain or bad weather can give them shelter

Of notable workmanship is the bell tower that rises into the sky.