Basilica di San Petronio
The Basilica di San Petronio is a minor basilica in Bologna dedicated to Saint Petronius, a fifth-century bishop and the city's patron saint. Construction began in 1390 as a great civic church intended to rival the largest in Christendom, and although work continued for centuries it was never fully completed, leaving the lower part of the brick-and-marble facade finished and the upper portion bare to this day.
Despite its unfinished front, San Petronio is one of the largest brick Gothic churches in the world, dominating the Piazza Maggiore at the heart of Bologna. Its cavernous interior contains a remarkable astronomical meridian line laid out by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in the seventeenth century, one of the largest of its kind, as well as the chapel with controversial frescoes of the Last Judgment by Giovanni da Modena. In 1530 the church was the setting for the imperial coronation of Charles V.
Long administered by the city rather than the diocese, the basilica was formally consecrated only in 1954. It remains a powerful symbol of Bolognese civic and religious identity and one of the most imposing medieval buildings in Emilia-Romagna.
- Location
- 44.4928, 11.3436
- Local time
- 00:36 (Europe/Rome)
🕘 Visiting hours
| Mon–Sun | 08:30–18:30 |
Midday closure 13:30-15:00; free entry. Reduced hours on Aug 15.
✨ Saints & blessed venerated here
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Saint Petronius Saint
Patron of Bologna and titular of the basilica; his skull relic is enshrined in a chapel beneath a monumental reliquary.
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Saint Bridget of Sweden Saint
The Chapel of St Bridget (formerly Pepoli) is dedicated to her, with a 1477 polyptych by Tommaso Garelli.
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Saint Sebastian Saint
Has a dedicated chapel (Cappella di San Sebastiano) open to paid visit, with frescoes.
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Saint Vincent Ferrer Saint
Dedicated chapel (Cappella di San Vincenzo Ferrer) within the basilica.
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Saint Roch Saint
Venerated in the basilica with a chapel and altarpiece, invoked against plague.
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The Magi (Three Kings) Saint
The Bolognini Chapel of the Magi houses Giovanni da Modena's famed 15th-century frescoes.
Care & donations
Basilica di San Petronio / Archdiocese of Bologna
Donations accepted via the basilica (basilicadisanpetronio.org)
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