Complex of San Michele in Bosco
San Michele in Bosco is known in Bologna for the wonderful view of the city that can be enjoyed from the square in front of the church, a destination for romantic walks and Sunday outings. In addition to the view, however, the area of San Michele in Bosco offers a rich historical and artistic heritage that deserves to be explored.
The history of San Michele in Bosco
San Michele in Bosco consists of the church of the same name and the adjacent
convent of Olivetan monks, who settled here in 1364. Today the convent, one of the largest in Italy, no longer houses the Olivetan order. This congregation is
part of the Benedictine order but distances itself from it by certain particular rules.
Over the centuries, the church of San Michele in Bosco went through various vicissitudes. During the Napoleonic era, it was subject to the expropriations typical of that period, and like other city complexes, it was converted into a barracks and prison. One of the consequences of this transition was also the poor conservation policy implemented with regard to the church and monastery. It was only with the return of papal power to the city that the complex once again became the object of care.
During the Restoration and the early years of the Kingdom of Italy, San Michele in Bosco housed both the Papal Legate and the royals, who stayed here several times. However, the building's current function came about at the end of the 19th century, when the newly founded
Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute chose San Michele in Bosco as its headquarters. The complex was then used as a hospital, and it was at this time that the library founded by the Olivetans returned to its former glory.
The Umberto I Library
Dating back to the 15th or 16th century, under its
frescoed vaults the Umberto I Library now houses the original nucleus of monastic texts dating back to the 14th century, ancient manuscripts, as well as one of the most comprehensive existing collections in the orthopaedic field.
Also worth seeing is the
large world map from 1762, created by Father Rosini da Lendinara using the best cartography available at the time.
The Church
The current appearance of the church dates back to the 15th century, but over time the structure has been
remodelled several times. Between 1517 and 1523, for example, the Olivetan community financed a major restoration of some internal areas that showed strong traces of decay.
The exterior of the building is the work of
Biagio Rossetti, the architect who worked on the Addizione Erculea and built the Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara. Entering the interior, we notice that the space is divided into two levels, one intended for the monks' choir and the other for the faithful and religious services.
The paintings and sculptures decorating the church date back to the 16th-17th centuries, while next to the building is a
fascinating octagonal cloister once frescoed by artists belonging to the Carracci school. Due to weathering and the passage of time, unfortunately only a few fragments of these works remain today.
The telescope effect
Finally, San Michele Bosco is also famous for a
peculiar optical effect that can be observed from the long corridor - called 'the telescope' - accessed through a door in the presbytery of the church. At the end of the corridor is a stained-glass window with a view of the city, and it is precisely by walking along the corridor in the direction of this window that the so-called 'telescope effect' occurs. Approaching the window,
the Asinelli Tower, although very far from the complex, appears close and very large.
