Bologna - Basilica of St Petronius

(Local Name: San Petronio) The south side of the Piazza Maggiore is dominated by San Petronio, the largest church in Bologna, which is dedicated to the town's patron saint. Begun in 1390 it was not completed according to the original plan, work being suspended about 1650 after the construction of the nave. The sculpture on the main doorway of the unfinished facade is by Jacopo della Quercia (1425-38). The interior ranks as the supreme achievement of Gothic architecture in Italy. Note the pieta by Amico Aspertini (1519) and the various wall-paintings.