On your Bologna tours, you will undoubtedly pass through the Piazza Maggiore. The Piazza Maggiore in the main square of the city and a famed meeting place for the entire city. In the Piazza Maggiore, on the Via dell Indipendenza, lies the Basilica di San Pietro. The Basilica di San Pietro was founded in 910. There was extensive building work between 1390 to 1426. Pellegrino Tibaldi put in a choir in 1575 in the seventeenth century, the nave was redone in the Baroque style.
The Basilica di San Pietro contains many fine treasures including Carraci's Annunciation of Our Lady and Mourning of Christ and the marble lions in the Romanesque entrance. The Basilica was designed by the architect Antonio di Vincenzo. At first, it was decided that it would be the largest Basilica ever built. The then Pope Pius however wanted la Basilica di San Pietro to remain the largest in the world. As a result, the money dried up for Vincenzio and to this day, you can see the Basilica di San Pietro with its unfinished facade.
The length of the Basilica di San Pietro facade is 132 meters and the width is 60 meters. The central vault alone is 41 meters. The height is an imposing 51 meters. Except for some portions above the main entrance, the marble facade in pink and white is nearly complete. The interiors of the building are all done in marble. There are eleven side chapels with art work devoted to various saints. Giovanni da Modena's L'inferno e il paradiso and Storie dei Re Magi are two famed works of art on display. The altar is magnificent with a dome above, depicting cherubic angels.
The Basilica di San Pietro has been been witness to historical events such as Charles VI coronation in 1530. Elisa Bonaparte's remains are also buried in the Basilica. The Basilica di San Pietro remains one of the foremost Tourist Attractions in Bologna.
Travel.mapsofworld.com provides description of Basilica di San Pietro.
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