Basilica Santa Maria dei Servi
Located on Strada Maggiore, the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi immediately catches the eye thanks to its elegant quadriporticus supported by slender marble columns, which runs along the façade and the left side of the structure.
The construction of the quadriporticus took place at different times, although its uniformity of style leads one to think otherwise. The oldest part is in fact the one flanking the basilica, dating back to 1393, decorated with frescoed lunettes that are now badly damaged. The most recent is instead the one facing the church, along Via Guerrazzi, built in the early 16th century.
The façade of the basilica is a simple brick structure with an oculus in the centre originally intended to become a rose window, which was never built, and a large entrance door.
The construction of the basilica
Construction work on the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi began around the middle of the 14th century at the behest of the religious order of the Servants of Mary, and continued for about ten years. However, the building was soon remodelled. In 1381
Andrea da Faenza, architect and father general of the order of the Servants of Mary, started enlarging the structure. But the works did not end there: in more recent times, between 1910 and 1927, the church underwent several restorations conducted by engineer Guido Zucchini.
Cimabue's Majesty and other works from the interior
The interior of the basilica preserves an ancient work of inestimable value. It is
Cimabue's Majesty, visible inside one of the chapels facing the apse. Dating back to the 13th century, this enormous altarpiece, more than two metres high, was reworked over the centuries by other painters and thus altered in its original form; hence the attribution to the master Cimabue by scholars did not occur until 1885.
The work depicts the enthroned Madonna holding the infant Jesus in her arms, surrounded by two graceful angels with coloured wings who observe the scene from the back of the throne.
Another artist who worked in Santa Maria dei Servi was
Vitale da Bologna, one of the most important painters in the 14th century Bolognese artistic scene. His works, which can also be seen in the Pinacoteca, can be considered emblematic of the era in which he lived, a time of great economic and cultural development for the city, which hosted a large number of students from all over Europe. Vitale's frescoes in the basilica have been badly damaged by time, but we can still admire some traces of them in the cross vault of the bell tower.
Observing the structure of the church, we notice that the space is divided into three naves, over which a series of chapels decorated by renowned artists such as Denis Calvaert, Marcantonio Franceschini, Luigi Crespi and Lippo di Dalmasio open up.
The star of the apse is the 16th-century marble dossal by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, behind which is a wooden choir partly designed by Andrea da Faenza himself. Next to the basilica is the former convent of Santa Maria dei Servi, once connected to the church and then expropriated during the Napoleonic era, which now houses the Carabinieri.
