Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna
Dedicated to Saint Petronius, the Bishop of Bologna in the 5thcentury, the Basilica of San Petronio is the main church in the city.
Dedicated to Saint Petronius, the Bishop of Bologna in the 5thcentury, the Basilica of San Petronio is the main church in the city. The imposing 14thcentury Gothic construction on Piazza Maggiore is the 10thlargest church in the world, running 132 metres long and 66 metres wide. The façade is unfinished, with the upper part featuring exposed red bricks. The bottom half of white and red marble features a sculptured main portal by Jacopo della Quercia flanked by smaller doorways, decked with rectangular panels with bas-reliefs. Behind the structure is the 65-metre tall campanile from the 15thcentury, that offers great views over Bologna.
The vast interior is divided into 3 naves, with a whopping 22 chapels housing rich works of art. Of note are Marcantonio Franceschini and Luigi Quaini's Madonna with St Petronio in the main chapel, Lorenzo Costa's Madonna with Saints, Amico Aspertini's Pietà in the Chapel of St. Lorenzo, The Last Judgment by Giovanni da Modena, and Vignola's ciborium, as well as the stained glass windows. Another interesting aspect of the church is the 66.8 metre long meridian line drawn as per 17thcentury astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini, the longest of its kind that accurately marks the day of the year.
