San Bernardino is a Roman Catholic church and convent located on Via Monte Navale in the town of Ivrea. The convent was built between 1455 and 1465 and dedicated to San Bernardino da Siena, who reputedly preached in Ivrea in 1418. The church was completed by 1457. In 1465, the original arches of the Gothic façade was enveloped by new construction, and two of the arches became part of new chapels. By the beginning of the 19th century, the convent had been requisitioned by occupying troops and by 1805, the property was deconsecrated and in 1907 made by engineer Camillo Olivetti into a residence. Between 1955 and 1958, major reconstruction modified the appearance of the convent, to house the headquarters of the social services of the Olivetti company: but restoration work was performed on the church.
The church wall houses the Renaissance fresco cycle of the Life and Passion of Christ (1480–1490) by Giovanni Martino Spanzotti. The work consists of twenty scenes placed around the large panel of the Crucifixion; with central spandrels depicting the Last Judgment and Hell. The pilasters have images of St Bernardino of Siena and Christ as 'Imago Pietatis', and two lateral spandrels depict the Expulsion from Paradise and Purgatory. The frescoes in back of the lateral chapels are attributed to Nicolas Robert, court painter of Amedeo IX of Savoy.
References:Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.
German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.
After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.