ST. SEBASTIANO’S CHAPEL
The chapel of St. Sebastiano, the fifth on the left, takes its name from the large canvas that stands out on the chapel’s altar. A painting that represents the scene of the martyrdom of the saint. The author of this painting is unknown, but we know that kneeling at Sebastiano’s feet is Donato Vaselli, the patron who built this chapel between 1487 and 1497.
On both sides of the altarpiece we find: on one side the announcing angel, by Francesco Raibolini, called “il Francia”; on the other, the Virgin’s Annunciation by Lorenzo Costa, who also painted the twelve apostles, placed on the side walls of the chapel.
Also worthy of mentioning are the stained glass windows: two mullioned windows representing the eight patron saints of Bologna (Francesco, Petronio, Ambrogio,Vitale, Agricola, Domenico, Procolo and Floriano) which culminate with two small rose windows also representing the Annunciation. All surmounted by a larger rose window, which depicts San Sebastiano. On the ground, a precious ceramic floor, by Andrea da Faenza, while the chapel is bounded by a fifteenth-century gate with an inscription dedicated to the saint in charge of the chapel.