Iperbole

The church dominates Piazza Maggiore with its imposing dimensions: 132 meters long, 60 meters large and 45 meters high, it is the fifth largest church in the world. Wanted by the Senate of Bologna in 1388, as an expression of the authority of the Commune, the basilica was dedicated to Saint Petronius, patron of the city. The construction of the church was charged to the murator (“architect”) Antonio di Vincenzo. The basilica, an example of Late Gothic Italian architecture, was terminated in 1659 and contains important artistic evidence. The façade, enriched by a marble basement, created with read and white stones to reproduce the communal colours, and by Jacopo della Quercia's portal at the centre (1426-1438), remained unfinished, even though many famous architects were interested in completing the work. Many drawings and projects are still present in the basilica's museum. A 66,8 meter-long meridian, the longest ever built in the world, designed by the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini and made by Giandomenico Cassini, can be admired inside the church. Property of the Commune until 1929 and consecrated only in 1954, the basilica had in time different destinations: it was used as a worship building, a public meeting point, a tribunal, and also as a “University church”. From the church, in fact, a “school bell-time”, known as “la scolara”, rang scheduling the students' classes in the the nearby Archiginnasio, seat of the first University (16th-19th century). Previously conserved in the basilica of Santo Stefano, in 2000, the remains of the Patron were transported into San Petronio. The decision of Charles V to be crowned Emperor in the church by Pope Clement VII in 1530 and the presence of the remains of Elisa Bonaparte (Napoleon's sister) testify to the importance of the church in time.

Basilica di San Petronio
Piazza Maggiore
40124 Bologna
tel. 051 225442 - 231415