Si comunica ai visitatori che a seguito della conclusione dei lavori di restauro la terrazza panoramica è stata chiusa definitivamente.
Visitors are hereby informed that, following the completion of the restoration works, the panoramic terrace has been permanently closed.
On the occasion of the traditional descent of the Blessed Virgin of San Luca into the city, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the Basilica of San Petronio will welcome the passage of the image of the Madonna and the presence of the Cardinal for the solemn celebration.
The programme is as follows:
At the end of the celebration, the image will return in procession to the Cathedral.
Please note that, for organisational and security reasons, the Basilica will close at 1:30 PM and reopen at 5:30 PM exclusively for the arrival of the image of the Madonna of San Luca.
Therefore, no guided tours or groups will be admitted to the Basilica during the afternoon. No celebrations are scheduled either, including the 5:00 PM vigil Mass.
Public access may be subject to restrictions, according to the security measures established for the event.
Basilica di San Petronio will close to the public at 5:30 PM to allow the concert “I Came to Buy a Smile,” held in memory of Maestro Ezio Bosso, to take place.
Access will still be guaranteed for those wishing to attend Holy Mass, no later than 5:10 PM.
Basilica di San Petronio will open at 10:00 AM due to technical and organizational requirements.
in Bologna
History of a Basilica that was intended to be bigger than St Peter’s
The Basilica is dedicated to Bishop Petronius (5th century), patron saint of Bologna. Its construction was ordered by the city council in 1388.
The Basilica’s initial design was very ambitious: the plan was to transform the original Gothic basilica, featuring transepts and a tiburium, into an immense church with a Latin cross plan, crowned by a dome and flanked by four bell towers. Its final size would have even exceeded that of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
The project’s completion was hampered by technical and economic difficulties, as well as changing political and spiritual circumstances, and the Basilica remained unfinished.
Construction work on the Basilica spanned over three centuries and was entirely financed with public funds. San Petronio was not intended to be Bologna’s cathedral, but rather a civic, state and municipal temple.
The meridian line that crosses the left aisle of the Basilica of San Petronio at an angle was traced in 1655 by the astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini (1625-1712). The 67-metre line marks the local noon with a high degree of accuracy.
The sundial functions like a camera obscura: the sun’s rays enter a small hole in the centre of the left aisle’s fourth vault and are projected onto the floor about an hour before noon.
The twenty-two side chapels, square in plan, are all of equal size and are enclosed by beautiful marble transennae or artistic iron gates. Valuable works of art are housed in each.
The chapels are named after the saint to whom they are dedicated and after those who held patronage rights.
The meridian line that crosses the left aisle of the Basilica of San Petronio at an angle was traced in 1655 by the astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini (1625-1712). The 67-metre line marks the local noon with a high degree of accuracy.
The sundial functions like a camera obscura: the sun’s rays enter a small hole in the centre of the left aisle’s fourth vault and are projected onto the floor about an hour before noon.
The twenty-two side chapels, square in plan, are all of equal size and are enclosed by beautiful marble transennae or artistic iron gates. Valuable works of art are housed in each.
The chapels are named after the saint to whom they are dedicated and after those who held patronage rights.
