Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi description and photos - Italy: Bologna (Topic)

Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi description and photos - Italy: Bologna. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Santa Maria dei Servi.

Photo and description

Santa Maria dei Servi is a Catholic basilica in Bologna, founded in 1346 as a church of the Servites, ministers of the Order of the Virgin Mary. Andrea da Faenza worked on the project of the church, whose work can also be seen in the Cathedral of San Petronio. And the status of a basilica was given to it by Pope Pius XII.

Santa Maria dei Servi is not the largest church in Bologna - only 100 meters long and 20 meters wide. It is shaped like a Latin cross, but the transverse naves do not protrude beyond the side aisles. The shallow apse has a traditional shape for Italian Gothic architecture.

Andrea da Faenza died in 1396, leaving the church unfinished. The construction of the temple was completed only in the 15th century, while it went in accordance with the projects of the architect. The central nave and side chapels are separated from each other by solid round columns with capitals. The columns themselves are red and their bases in a contrasting shade add decorativeness to the simple decoration of the church. High under the Gothic vaults, window openings are visible on the plastered walls.

Inside there is a marble altarpiece by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, known as "Michelangelo" Montorsoli, frescoes from the 14th century by Vitale da Bologna, and the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Throne - the creation of Cimabue. The church also houses an organ - one of the best in Europe.

The facade of Santa Maria dei Servi, built in several stages, has never been decorated. The brick building itself has a rather nondescript appearance. However, the real decoration of the church is its courtyard or atrium, typical of early Christian churches. It was built in the 16th century and "captured" the entire area adjacent to the temple. Apparently, a passage from the Florentine Orphanage by the great Brunneleschi was taken as a model. In the place where the passage of Santa Maria dei Servi meets the facade of the church, it forms the so-called vestibule - a wide portico of five arches.

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Topic: Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi description and photos - Italy: Bologna.