Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Peter

Religious buildings

Piazza Maggiore - Indipendenza

It is the city's cathedral and was given the title of “Metropolitan” in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII who provided the Bologna dioceses with an archbishop.

The first testimonies of the building date back to the 10th century, however the cathedral changed significantly over the centuries. Its current appearance dates back to the restoration of 1605 which, however, removed all traces of the original Romanesque-Gothic style. The interior is home to paintings by artists such as Prospero Fontana, Ludovico Carracci and Donato Creti.

The Cathedral treasure safeguards 14th-century artefacts and liturgical vestments of great artistic and spiritual value.

The bell tower is the second tallest in the city (70 metres) and, in addition, the bell chamber boasts the largest bell that can be rung using the “Bolognese method” (i.e. a cadenced rhythm with a complete rotation of the bell).

Map

Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Peter

Via Indipendenza, 9 - 40121

How to get there

Telephone: +39 051222112

Entrance

free

Interests

Art & Culture

Details

Services

Guided tours the Cathedral Treasure are available for groups by reservation.

Insights

The Cathedral Treasure

The door at the end of the minor nave on the left - inside the Church Cathedral Metropolitan of St. Peter in via Indipendenza - leads to the new exhibition rooms, prepared specifically for the Jubilee 2000. Here, for the very first time, the public can admire a permanent arrangement of the "Cathedral Treasure". It is a wide selection of the priceless religious objects and furnishings of great artistic importance that were donated to the Cathedral over the centuries for use in the most solemn religious celebrations.

The works given by Pope Lambertini represent more than one half of the treasure, but the three most important sections are composed of the religious articles that belonged to other religious figures. The Blessed Nicolò Albergati, (Bishop of Bologna from 1417 to 1443) gave a pair of mitres decorated with embroidery and oriental pearls, a silver-gilt pastoral staff and a wonderful and carefully enameled chalice; Pope Gregory XV (Alessandro Ludovisi, Archbishop of Bologna from 1612 to 1621) in 1622 gave the precious chasuble trimmed with gold and polychromatic silks, made by Spanish artisans; Pope Benedict XIV (Prospero Lambertini, Archbishop of Bologna from 1731 to 1754), in 1750 gave: a censer and a silver-gilt incense boat, a molten and embossed silver crib, a silver pastoral staff, a precious Ritual binding, a pyx and a pair of silver-gilt chalices, an holy silver Ostensorium decorated with hard stones and a precious chasuble trimmed with gold and red silk. The majority of these works are made by Roman artisans of the XVIII century. Moreover, there is an engraved crucifyx, a wonderful gilt embossed plate with the Boncompagni's coat of arms, a magnificent altar made of silver and lapis lazuli and statues, candelabrums, fabrics, embroideries and decorations of different periods. Thanks to the excellent abilities of the artisans, and the high artistic level, all these works can be considered as masterpieces.

The description is partly taken from the book: "I musei di Bologna", Council of Bologna, Culture