Description of the attraction
Basilica of San Petronio is the main church of Bologna, located in Piazza Maggiore and dedicated to the patron saint of the city. In the 5th century, Saint Petronio was the local bishop. Today, the basilica named after him is the fifth largest church in the world: its length is 132 meters, width - 60 meters, and the height of the vaults reaches 51 meters. Inside it can accommodate about 28 thousand people.
The foundation stone of the future Gothic cathedral was laid in 1390, when Antonio di Vicenzo was chosen as the chief architect of such an important urban project. Construction continued for several centuries: after the completion of the facade in 1393, the construction of the first chapels began, which were only completed in 1479. In 1514, Arduino degli Arriguzzi proposed a new plan for the church - according to his idea, it should have been in the form of a Latin cross at the base in order to surpass St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. However, these plans were not destined to come true - the project was vetoed by Pope Pius IV himself.
The decoration of the main facade remained unfinished for many years - many architects, including the famous Baldassar Peruzzi and Andrea Palladio, took on it, but for various reasons the work did not move. At the beginning of the 15th century, Jacopo della Quercia decorated the main entrance to the cathedral with sculptures, and two small side doors with images based on the Old Testament motif. His nude Adam and other figures, placed on a rectangular bas-relief, provided inspiration to Renaissance artists.
The interior of the cathedral is remarkable for the depiction of the Madonna and Saints by Lorenzo Costa Jr. and The Pieta by Amico Aspertini. Noteworthy are the painted walls and colored stained glass windows. The choirs were made in the 15th century by Agostino de Marchi, and the monstrance is the work of Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola.
Since Bologna was the musical center of the Baroque era in Italy, it is not surprising that the first instruments were installed in the Cathedral of San Petronio at the end of the 16th century. In the 17th century, two organs appeared here, which are still in excellent condition.
In the left side aisle, you can see a sundial, installed in 1655, by the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini. This is the largest sundial in the world - its length is 66.8 meters.
The solemn consecration of the cathedral took place only in 1954, and in 2000 the relics of St. Petronio, previously kept in the Basilica of Santo Stefano, were transferred here.
The Basilica of San Petronio has always played an important role in ecclesiastical and social life not only in Bologna, but also in Europe. In 1530 the great Charles V was crowned here, and in the 19th century Eliza Bonaparte, sister of the French emperor Napoleon, was buried. Already today, in 2002, five men were arrested who were planning to organize a terrorist attack in the cathedral. And in 2006, the Italian police again managed to prevent a tragedy - then Muslim terrorists were captured, who wanted to destroy the basilica, because, in their opinion, the fresco inside offends Islam. This fresco by Giovanni da Modena depicts a scene from Dante's Inferno where Muhammad is tortured by demons.
