The Church of St. Matthew the Apostle in Laigueglia is one of the most significant examples of late Ligurian Baroque architecture. The building was constructed at the end of the 18th century by enlarging a previous church and required an extraordinary financial commitment from the community: according to contemporary chronicles, it cost over half a million Genoese lire to build, not counting the labour and materials offered free of charge by sailors, fishermen and the ‘patroni’, i.e. small shipowners and captains of local boats.

Thanks to these generous donations, it was possible to purchase altars and works of art of great value at auctions following the suppression of some Genoese churches during the Napoleonic period. Inside, visitors can admire important paintings such as Bernardo Strozzi’s Assumption (17th century) and Castello Castellino’s Pentecost (1645), as well as The Baptism of Jesus and The Crucifixion, works from the 17th-century Genoese school set in a harmonious and monumental setting.

During the period of greatest prosperity for the families of Laigueglia, the church was further enlarged and the high altar was moved to the west. Among the most precious furnishings is the statue of St. Matthew, created in 1708 and covered with silver leaf.

A distinctive feature of the building are the two twin bell towers, topped with domes covered in coloured majolica, visible from every point in the village. The crosses placed on their tops are oriented according to the main sea winds, the mistral and the libeccio, testifying to the deep bond between the church and the community of sailors and fishermen who supported its construction.