Explore the Enchanting Basilica of Santo Stefano in Bologna: A Guide to the Seven Churches Complex
The Basilica of Santo Stefano, also called Sette Chiese, is in the middle of Bologna. It is one of the most interesting architectural complexes in the city, and it is free to get in.
In Bologna, the Basilica of Santo Stefano, or alle Sette Chiese, stands in the beautiful Piazza Santo Stefano. It is one of the oldest and most important religious buildings in the city, as well as one of the most popular tourist destinations.
The complex is called “Sette Chiese” because it is made up of seven different environments: four churches (the Church of the Crucifix, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the Basilica of Saints Vitale and Agricola, and the Church of the Trinity), two outdoor spaces (the Cortile di Pilato and the Chiostro dei Benedettini), and a museum, the Museum of Santo Stefano.
Legend has it that San Petronio, the patron saint of Bologna, built the church on the site of an old Isis temple in the 5th century. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Isis. The idea to divide the complex into seven churches came from the saint. He did this to remember the places in the Holy Land where he had paid his respects to the places where Christ died. From here, the Basilica of Santo Stefano got the name “little Jerusalem” or the nickname “Sancta Hyerusalem.”
The Church of the Cross
Three of the four churches in the complex have direct views of Piazza Santo Stefano. When put next to each other, they make a Romanesque-style building that is unique and special. The Church of the Crucifix, which is also the entrance to the basilica, stands out. On his right is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is also called the Church of Calvary. At the corner of Via Gerusalemme, the Church of Ss. Vitale and Agricola can be seen, though its portico partially hides it.
The church of the cross is the first stop inside the basilica. The Longobards started building it in the eighth century. When you walk inside, your eyes go right to the crucifix hanging above the altar, which is where the church gets its name.
It is a masterpiece by the Bolognese artist Simone dei Crocifissi (1330–1399), whose work is also shown at the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna.
As you walk along the rather empty nave, you’ll reach the raised presbytery. Under its staircase is the crypt where the bodies of Saints Vitale and Agricola are supposed to be kept. But there is also a legend about this place: one of the columns that holds up the crypt, the only one without a capital, was brought here from San Petronio after the trip to the Holy Land because its height (about 170cm) is the same as that of Jesus Christ.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
To the left of the presbytery is a doorway that leads to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a space full of Christological symbols that refer to the Passion and death of Christ.
The sepulcher, which was built by San Petronio in honor of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, is the most important part of this church. It was probably built in the 5th century on the site of the old iseo.
The remains of the saint who is the patron of Bologna were once inside. In 2000, they were moved to the Basilica of San Petronio. In the past, people could go inside to pay their respects to the saint. Now, the small door to the tomb is always closed, except for a week around Easter when it is left open.
The Church of SS. Vitale and Agricola
The church for Saints Vitale and Agricola is the third one you can see from Piazza Santo Stefano. It is also the oldest. It looks like it does now, with three aisles, because of a project from the 11th century, but sources say it has been there since the 4th century, when it held the bodies of the early Christian martyrs for whom it is named.
Vitale and Agricola’s bodies were later moved to Milan, but their original sarcophagi can still be seen in the side apses of the church in Bolognese.
In the 15th century, a tomb with the name “Symon” was found inside the Church of SS. Vitale e Agricola. This led to a strange pilgrimage to the church.
Even though there was no historical evidence to back up the theory, the tomb was immediately thought to be Simon Peter’s, and people started going to Bologna to worship what they thought was a holy relic.
Pope Eugene IV did something hard to stop this practice, which was also keeping some pilgrims from going to Rome. He desecrated the church and had it filled with dirt. Around 1490, Bishop Giuliano della Rovere fixed the church so that it could be used again for worship.
The other rooms in the Seven Churches building
The tour of the Basilica of Santo Stefano continues by going outside to the Cortile di Pilato, also called the Santo Giardino, which is easy to find because of the marble basin from the 8th century that is in the middle and is called Pilato’s basin.
The courtyard was built to remember where Jesus stood before the Roman prefect and was sentenced to death. This is shown by the stone rooster under the side portico, which is called the rooster of St. Peter and is a reminder of the famous story told in the Gospels.
You can then get to the small Church of the Trinity by going through the courtyard. At first, the Church of the Trinity was meant to be a copy of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. It has been changed many times over the years, and now it has five naves and the oldest crib in the world with statues in the round. This is an Adoration of the Magi by Simone dei Crocifissi, which dates back to the 14th century.
From the courtyard, you can also enter the Benedictine (or medieval) Cloister, which gets its name from the monks who still live there. The punishments in the Purgatorio della Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri seem to have been based on the cloister. This is because the upper floor of the portico has some very unusual anthropomorphic capitals arranged on two levels.
At the end of the tour inside Santo Stefano, you reach the museum. It has five rooms and a collection of paintings from the Bolognese school from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, as well as some holy objects and reliquaries. One of these has a bandage in it that, according to legend, the Madonna herself wore.
Useful information, timetables, and ticket prices for the visit
Hours: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
There is no fee to get into the basilica, but a free donation is “required”.
The Basilica of Santo Stefano is in a part of Bologna that is only for pedestrians and has limited traffic. To get there, take a bus and get off at Rizzoli, which is close by. If you’re coming by train, you can also walk there in 20 minutes.