BOLOGNA – Day Four – Part One

DSCN0767Though it is sort of considered part of the Church of San Giacomo Maggiore, the Oratorio di Santa Cecilia is accessed by an entrance-way on Via Zamboni, under the porticoes, on the side of the church.  DSCN0768On the day of my visit, there was a private event being held in the Oratorio, so I was not able to actually go inside.  DSCN0772Dating back to the 5th Century, the Chiesa di San Bartolomeo e Gaetano has been rebuilt at least 2 times since the original house of worship was constructed.  DSCN0773DSCN0774DSCN0776DSCN0779DSCN0780DSCN0795DSCN0796The Chiesa dei Servi dates back to 1346, while the porticoes along the courtyard in the front of the church are from 1393.DSCN0798DSCN0797DSCN0811DSCN0814I passed by a shop that had a memorial to the singer Lucio Dalla set up in the window.DSCN0815DSCN0818DSCN0829DSCN0831DSCN0832DSCN0834DSCN0833My next stop was going to be the Basilica di Santo Stefano, which is also known by the name of “Sancta Jerusalem Bononiensis”, or “Bologna’s Holy Jerusalem”, or by the much simpler, “Seven Churches”.  DSCN0836DSCN0835DSCN0837This is a beautiful complex consisting of 4 churches (used to be seven) which are connected.  This is another MUST SEE when in Bologna!  DSCN0843DSCN0841For me, one of the most interesting and moving moments of my visit here was when I entered the area known as the Holy Sepulchre.  This is the second space that one enters into, in the complex, and its main focus is the mausoleum in the center of the space, which is 1,000 years old.  It is an exact replica of the tomb of Christ, and is now the resting place of St. Petronius – the Patron Saint of the City of Bologna.DSCN0848DSCN0850DSCN0851DSCN0853Pilates courtyard connects a few of the churches.DSCN0857DSCN0876DSCN0879DSCN0884DSCN0885DSCN0881DSCN0889DSCN0891DSCN0892DSCN0895DSCN0897Just a short five-minute walk will bring you to the Chiesa di San Giovanni in Monte Oliveto.  DSCN0899The church sits atop a small hill (one of the few in the city), and overlooks the small piazza in front of it.  DSCN0902The church was originally founded in 433, by St. Petronius.  It was damaged during a bombing in World War II, and luckily for us, was restored in 1947.DSCN0903DSCN0908DSCN0909DSCN0911DSCN0913DSCN0916DSCN0919DSCN0921DSCN0922The Teatro Duse is one of the oldest theaters in the city.DSCN0926DSCN0925DSCN0929DSCN0935DSCN0939DSCN0948DSCN0944DSCN0949

Next up: more from Bologna – including a peek at its little known canal!

Note: this blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations which may appear.

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