Description of the attraction
The Basilica of San Pietro in Chiel d'Oro - St. Peter's Basilica in the Golden Sky - was once the main church of the Lombard city of Pavia. It was built on the burial place of the Lombard kings and the great characters of ancient history - Aurelius Augustine and Boethius, and got its name from the magnificent mosaic in the apse, which is covered with gold leaf.
The current building of San Pietro in Chiel d'Oro was built in the 12th century in the Lombard Romanesque style. Before him, there was a church on this site, presumably from the 7th century, which was rebuilt in the 720s by order of King Liutprand, who was buried here. Liutprand also brought the relics of St. Augustine to Pavia.
At the beginning of the 14th century, the church became the property of the Augustinian order, as it was decided to build a new cathedral. At the same time, in 1362, by order of the monks, a magnificent Gothic shrine with 150 sculptures was made, which was intended to store the relics of St. Augustine. These relics, by the way, later became the cause of discord between the branches of the order - for several centuries they argued with each other about the ownership of the holy relic.
In the 18th century, the Augustinians left the church and took with them the relics of the saint. The building of the temple began to gradually decline, and during the years of the Napoleonic occupation, it even kept military ammunition. Only at the end of the 19th century, the church was restored, including the same "golden" mosaic depicting Christ.
