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Aula Magna – Ex Chiesa di Santa Lucia
This ex-church dedicated to Santa Lucia was the first seat for the religious order called the Servants of Maria around the early 1500s. This façade is unfinished as can easily be seen from the rough brick work and external columns which only reach a few metres in height.
Of course the original church was much smaller. In 1546 the Jesuits moved here and began an ambitious project to enlarge the church and expand their residence by buying up land and buildings in the area. In 1551 they opened their first public college which by then occupied a vast space even as far as the next street behind this building in Via Cartoleria. In this street they opened two more colleges, one of which is now a private school called Liceo Galvani while the other directly behind here is the school of San Luigi.
At the beginning of the 1600s the Jesuits embarked on another project to build a monumental church from scratch and exemplifying a baroque style which can be seen throughout the internal religious decoration here. The architectonics was chosen from the church of Jesus in Rome in which the celebrated Bolognese artist Jacopo Barozzi had created an innovative passage way called an ambulatory. In effect, it was an internal walkway skirting the main altar quite a typical characteristic of gothic churches.
The architect Girolamo Rainaldi, from Rome, took on the project and actually elaborated it. The original chapel was knocked down to make way for the new one and the first stone was laid in 1659. However, after 30 years of construction it was far from complete, lacking wings of the transept, the apse and the dome. It appeared that the Jesuits had grossly underestimated the costs. Enlargement work which was planned by Francesco Maria Angelini took place later but was interrupted in 1732 and only partially finished in the 19th century.
The exhibition along the aisles and around the defunct altars is part of the Students European Museum. It’s quite a small collection on display but is reminiscent of past traditions. Most of the artefacts in the glass cases are parts of clothing like hats and insignia no doubt recalling particular institutions or even areas of academia.
In the late 1700s during the time of Pope Clement XIV the Jesuits were suppressed in 1773 and all work was abandoned on the church. It passed next to the Barnabite Order and the church was finally consecrated in 1808.
After the church was deconsecrated since it was no longer in use it was fitted out as a gym and workshop for the Aldini Institute.
Between 1987-1989 the building was restored and transformed into the Aula Magna for the University of Bologna. It was inaugurated by Pope John Paul II in 1988 on the occasion of the 9th centenary of the university and is presently utilized for conferences and shows.
At the back which is actually used as the main entrance now is this separate apse built by Vincenzo Vannini in 1840. There are obvious signs of the unfinished work earlier referred to none more so from inside this particular part of the building.
In the corner of the room is this terracotta statue of the Madonna with Child by the sculptor Giuseppe Mazza dating to the 18th century. It was recently restored having been paid for by a local bank.
This is an extra space of the Aula Magna which holds smaller events and conferences compared to the larger ceremonies held in the main body.
From the top of the stairs the real apse of the church comes into clear view now. Adjacent to this is where the building once more joins the main church body, further evidence of a work in progress to enlarge this grand building but later sadly abandoned. Therefore, the monumental symbol of the Jesuit Order never materialised and had to be patched up in more recent centuries.
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