Bologna Cathedral

About

Bologna Cathedral, formally known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Peter (Italian: Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro, also called Cattedrale di Bologna), is the cathedral of Bologna, Italy, and the seat of the Archbishop of Bologna. Dedicated to Saint Peter, most of the present structure dates to the 17th century, with some parts dating back to the late 16th century.

There was already a cathedral on the site (on the present Via Indipendenza) in 1028, accompanied by a pre-Romanesque campanile with a circular base (in the architectural tradition of Ravenna). This church was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1141. It was reconstructed and consecrated by Pope Lucius III in 1184. In 1396 a high portico (protiro) was added to the west front, which was rebuilt in 1467. From about 1477 the Ferrarese painters Francesco del Cossa and Ercole de' Roberti worked in the Garganelli Chapel on the creation of a cycle of frescoes which later had a significant influence on Niccolò dell'Arca and Michelangelo. The frescoes were lost in subsequent reconstruction except for a very few fragments. In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII elevated the Bishop of Bologna to Archbishop, and accordingly...