The church of San Giorgio in Poggiale, of ancient Longobard origins, was designed and built between 1589 and 1633 by architect Tommaso Martelli and entrusted to the Servite Fathers until 1798. Its name derives from the street it overlooks (today Via Nazario Sauro), known until 1919 as Via del Poggiale. In 1882, the church was entrusted to the Jesuits, who remained there until its partial destruction following the air raid of 25 September 1943. Never reopened for worship and definitively deconsecrated, stripped of its furnishings and works of art, between 1959 and 1962 the church ran the risk of being demolished.
Acquired by the Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, it underwent careful restoration and was reopened to the public in 2009 as the custodian library of the Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna Foundation's extensive library holdings.
San Giorgio in Poggiale houses important works of contemporary art: Campo dei Fiori and the latest monumental Delocazione by Claudio Parmiggiani, as well as the Cattedrale cycle by Piero Pizzi Cannella.
The Library, whose layout was designed by architect Michele De Lucchi, is also the venue for exhibitions and cultural events, as well as being open to the public by appointment for the consultation of materials and the loan service. The library's holdings include 100,000 books, 60,000 of which are part of fonds, the result of purchases, testamentary legacies or donations, and consist mainly of volumes on local history and art history. The newspaper and periodicals library includes titles and titles of various kinds from the end of the 18th century to the present day. The photographic archive consists of a nucleus of approximately 60,000 phototypes, divided into several fonds.
The San Giorgio in Poggiale Art and History Library is part of the Genus Bononiae museum centre.
Map
Biblioteca d’Arte e di Storia di San Giorgio in Poggiale
Via Nazario Sauro, 20/2 – 40121
Telephone: +39 051 19936352
Email: biblioteca@genusbononiae.it
Site/minisite/other: http://www.genusbononiae.it/
Entrance
free
Interests
- Art & Culture
Details
Accessibility
Hearing disability
Access and orientation do not present any difficulty for the hearing impaired.
Being a historical library, there are no room cards and descriptive captions.
Access to the contents is regulated by the presence of an archive on a PC that can only be consulted by the members of the library.
Reading the contents requires excellent linguistic skills given the cultural level of the texts. Evening visits are also available upon request.
There are no means of visual communication in case of alarm in the bathrooms.
Motor disability and difficulty of movement
The museum is substantially accessible to everyone; however, people with reduced motor skills could find trouble in the first room (Etruscan Bologna) where an Etruscan road with very irregular paving has been rebuilt, and on the way to the Virtual Theatre, where a very long ramp is equipped with a handrail to the right; the space within the Virtual Theatre is reduced, which could be a problem to people in wheelchairs.
Timetables
Open to the public every Thursday morning from 10 AM to 1 PM.
For consultation and requests for material, please contact the staff in advance by writing to: biblioteca@genusbononiae.it.
Summer closure from 4 to 31 August 2025.
Times may be subject to change. Please consult the official website for updates.