Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna

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“The Basilica of San Petronio, the largest in Bologna, and, though unfinished, one of the most interesting and remarkable, is a fine monument of the religious munificence which characterised the period of Italian freedom.”
— from “A Handbook for Travellers in Central Italy: Southern Tuscany and the Papal States” 1857 by John Murray

The three entrance doors are topped by lunettes. Above the right-hand lunette is the Resurrection (see photo #1); the left-hand one shows the Deposition from the Cross (see photo #3). Over the center door the Virgin is flanked by San Petronio and San Ambrogio (see photo #2).

Surrounding each entry door are a number of low-relief sculptures depicting scenes from the Old Testement, including Expulsion from the Garden of Eden (see photo #4). Jacopo della Quercia uses dramatic and forceful gestures in this composition. The angel pushes the resisting Adam from the gates of Paradise while Eve is shown in the pose of the classical modest Venus covering her nudity.

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“On the south side of this Piazza is the Church of San Petronio, which covers more ground than St. Peter’s in Rome, but is unfinished, externally, and fails in height and proportions; having been commenced in the Gothic style. On the floor of this church, commencing at the left of the central door, is a meridian, traced in brass and marble, by Cassini the astronomer.”
— from “A Hand-Book for American Travellers in Europe” 1853 by Rev. Roswell Park, president, Racine College, Racine, WI

CHURCH AS BASILICA This church is a basilica, which means it is a place of pilgrimage. Dominating the south side of Piazza Maggiore, Basilica di San Petronio was begun in 1390 as a civic project to compete with Constantine’s St. Peter’s in Rome. It has a Roman basilica floor plan; its Gothic rib vaulting shows Northern European influences. When the ducats stopped flowing, work halted; I love the lopsided marble facing. There are some who say that the façade was not finished to keep it simple, less grand, more of a people’s church.

The Basilica San Petronio is justly listed amongst the treasures of Bologna. Only...you have to be appropriately dressed to be permitted inside. Apparently my bare arms (on a day with temperatures in the mid-nineties) were an affront to the Diety, so despite the heat, I was required to purchase and wear a coat of synthetic (that is, non-breathable) material whilst within the church precincts. I noticed that others wearing shorts were similarly attired, but girls wearing even very short skirts -- as long as they had some sort of sleeves on top -- weren't required to suit up! (I am told that in Pisa they require them to wear aprons, but perhaps that is just rumor.)

Once you meet the dress code, you are free to wander this immense, light-filled space (the fifth largest church in the world, apparently). What struck me most was the marriage of theology and science. I'm reasonably certain there was a Foucault pendulum in one of the chapels, and a "linea longitudinale" crosses the nave, part of the astronomer Cassini's creation of an internal sundial with zodiac signs in the 17th century.

Begun in 1390, San Petronio was not consecrated until 1954.

Candidly, I was so overheated in both body and temper that it was a struggle to pay sufficient attention to my surroundings. That doesn't mean YOU shouldn't, though. Read someone else's pages on the Basilica and I'm sure you'll be more motivated!

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Commissioned in the late 14th century, Bologna's largest church, la Basilica di San Petronio was meant to surpass Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Although construction continued for centuries, the basilica was not finished and it never reached its intended size, for Pope Pius IV stopped the construction to prevent it from achieving its grandiose target. Yet, even as it stands uncompleted today, it is the fifth largest church in the world. The basilica is dedicated to Saint Petronius, the 5th century Bishop of Bologna, and dominates the city's main square, Piazza Maggiore. It was only consecrated in 1954 and the relics of its patron saint were only moved within it in the year 2000. One need not look hard to see the unfinished details, as the towering façade - all 51 metres in height and 60 metres in width - is only less than half covered in polychrome marble and Gothic decorations. The rest is naked in its bare dark bricks that should have been embossed in marble and covered forever. Nevertheless, the finished half is of exquisite beauty with sculptures by Jacopo della Quercia decorating the Porta Magna, the main doorway. The basilica's square campanile or bell tower, dates from 1492.

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Although minimally decorated, the interior of the Basilica di San Petronio is a beautiful example of Italian Gothic architecture. Most impressive is its sheer size and lofty ceilings. It consists of three naves, with numerous side and back chapels, only a few of which are adorned by stunning frescoes. The most famous chapel is the one depicting Dante's inferno (hell) in its frescoes by Giovanni da Modena. In its original plan, the church was to be cross-shaped, but when Pope Pius IV stopped the project, the two side wings completing the cross shape were never constructed. From the outside, the two sides of the Basilica seem oddly cropped as a result of the halted construction (see attached photo).

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The Basilica di San Petronio is Bologna's main cathedral. Compared with other churches in Italy (like those in Florence and Siena), it looks modest. But that was not the original plan. When construction began in 1390, the grand plan was to build Christendom's largest cathedral, even bigger than Vatican's San Pietro. Still unfinished until the mid-1500s, Pope Pius IV squashed the original builders' dreams when funds were rechanneled to building a university on the eastern side of the church (the Palazzao Archiginnasio). The result was the unfinished facade that we see now, and the church being "demoted" to only the 5th largest in the world.

Despite the unfulfilled dream, San Petronio still boasts beautiful works by major Italian artists. The main doorway was carved by Jacopo della Querica in 1425 depicting the Madonna and Child and biblical scenes. The gothic interiors contain 22 chapels with some outstanding stained glass works by Jacopo of Ulm while Giovanni da Modena and Jacopo di Paolo painted the stunning frescoes.

While entrance to the church is free, non-personal bags (for example, backpacks) are not allowed inside the church and this is strictly enforced. I had to leave my backpack at my hotel - but I was lucky since it was only a few meters from Piazza Maggiore.

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Dedicated to the 5th century bishop and patron of the city. The building of San Petronio was begun in 1390 by the architect di Vincenzo. Construction was started as gothic architecture but changed to renaissance around a century later. However the designed construction was never completed because of the great disapproval of the Roman Church. It was suppose to be bigger the saint peters in Rome, but was made smaller when the church authorities diverted money to the nearby Plaazzo Archiginnasio and the new university. All masonry work stopped and was moved to the Palazzo, but when it was completed funds for the new cathedral were no longer available. Despite the papal sabotage the basilica is still the fifth largest in the world

The doors feature sculptures by Tribolo, Lombardo, da Treviso and Aspertini. Inside you will find a museum with models and drawings of the original and modified plans for construction. Also the relicas of St. Petronius are in this church

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San Petronio was begun in 1390 by the then unknown architect di Vincenzo and was not "completed" until the middle of the 17th century. I say "completed" because the façade of this church that would be a cathedral (but never was) is quite obviously not finished, with only half of it covered in pink and white marble. By the three arched doors you can see the sculptures dell Quercia (when there is no construction), erected between 1425 and 1438. You can find bas-reliefs of stories from the Genesis on the pilasters as well as images of the prohets on the archivolts. The doors feature sculptures by Tribolo, Lombardo, da Treviso, Aspertini and other artists.
The interior of the church defies description is such a small space, as it contains no less than 11 chapels (and the original plan called for a church twice this size!!!). Nevertheless, the rooms are not empty and will delight any visitor with the wealthy of the artistic heritage contained inside this church. The elevnth chapel has a high relief of the Assumption by Tribolo (16th Century) while the fourth chapel features primarily Gothic architecture. For those who are interested by the construction and history of the San Petronio, you will find a museum inside the church with models and drawings of the original and modified construction plans.