Basilica San Petronio
The Basilica di San Petronio is one of the symbols of Bologna, and a must-see destination for anyone wishing to visit the city. With its characteristic unfinished façade, the basilica towers in all its grandeur over Piazza Maggiore.
Those who have seen it in person know that its dimensions are truly remarkable, so much so that it ranks fifth in the list of the largest churches in the country. The original plan, however, was for San Petronio to be even more imposing. Let us therefore take a look at the history of its foundation.
The building of the basilica and its unfinished façade
The construction of the basilica began in 1390, not at the behest of the Bolognese ecclesiastical community but of the civil authorities, who wanted to assert their independence with this gesture.
The project, initially entrusted to the
architect Antonio di Vincenzo, became more and more ambitious as time went by: in the intentions of the Bolognese community, the basilica was to have a Latin cross plan, with a square dedicated to each arm, and exceed the dimensions of St. Peter's in Rome.
However, this ambitious project came to a halt, so much so that the current layout of the basilica has no transept. Tradition has it that it was Pope Pius IV who stopped the work in 1505, but it was not finally completed until 1659, almost three centuries after the foundation stone was laid.
Perhaps due to the depletion of available funds and the indecision on how to finish the project,
the façade of San Petronio remained unfinished, and presents itself today as it did then in its double face, covered in Istrian stone and marble in the lower part and in brick in the upper part.
Approaching the entrance, one notices a magnificent, richly decorated portal, the so-called Porta Magna, made by Jacopo della Quercia. Among the bas-reliefs we can admire the Madonna and Child next to Saint Ambrose and Saint Petronius in the central lunette, and some scenes from the Old and New Testament.
What to see inside San Petronio
Once inside the basilica, what strikes the eye is the great
brightness of the space, achieved thanks to the building's north-south orientation (and not east-west as usual).
The large Gothic structure is divided into three naves supported by strong brick pillars, at the sides of which are 22 chapels. Its walls have hosted important ceremonies over the centuries, such as the coronation of Emperor Charles V in 1530 by Pope Clement VII.
One of the most famous chapels is undoubtedly the
Three Kings or Bolognini chapel, decorated by Giovanni da Modena with frescoes depicting Hell - the portrait of Satan in the centre is very famous - Paradise and the Stories of the Three Kings.
Also not to be missed are chapel V, frescoed with works by the
Bolognese painters Lorenzo Costa and Francesco Francia, and chapel VIII, where Parmigianino's altarpiece "San Rocco and a Donor" stands out.
In front of some of the chapels are four stone crosses, which, according to tradition, were placed by Saint Petronius himself in the centre of Bologna to protect and delimit it.
In addition to the wonderful paintings mentioned above, the Basilica of San Petronio also houses the
longest sundial in the world: an impressive 67 metres running along the floor of the church.
