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Chiesa di Sant’ Isaia
Legend has it that this church rose up at the end of the 1st century. What is known for certainty though is that it did exist from 1088 onwards. This present building was reconstructed one part at a time beginning from 1624 by Sebastian Fiorini although the façade was only completed 1796-1882 when Luigi Marchesini enlarged the church under the direction of Don Giacomo Negri.
This lunette in ceramic represents the Annunciation and dates back to the to the end of the 1900s. The archangel Gabriel faces the Virgin. It’s attributed to a Bolognese Ceramic firm in 1858 called Minghetti and Sons. In recent years it was restored in memory of Marco Zambelli.
Cardinal Michele Viale Prelà consecrated St Isaiah on 31st October 1858.
At the back of the church is this first chapel on the right. On the altar is this late 16th century painting by Giovanni Battista Ramenghi displaying the Crucifixion, Madonna and three saints. Next to the altar is this life-sized statue of St Espedito, born in Bologna at the end of the 19th century and who was martyred in Turkey.
This work of the Annunciation in the second chapel was done by Marco Antonio Francheschini in 1726. In 2002 it was restored by Lucia Vanghi.
The third chapel here displays a 20th century painting of St Joseph and the Child Jesus by Amleto Montevecchi from Imola.
This fourth chapel is dedicated to the Holy Rosary and is surrounded by smaller paintings of the 15 mysteries by Francesco Corregio in the 17th century.
Names inscribed into the marble sides around the church, like this one, show that those people have contributed to the building of the church or its restoration in later years.
The main altar sculptured from polychrome marble is the work of Carlo Vidoni in 1857 and commissioned by the parish priest Mons. Leonardo Comantri. The main painting here was completed by Alessandro Guardassoni in 1873.
At the side is this 18th century organ while on the opposite side appears to be the same but is in fact an empty cupboard. Marchesini created this empty space as a means of reflecting symmetry with the real organ.
At each side of the main altar are huge stone sculptures by Alfredo Bertelli in the second half of the 19th century who was also noted for his masterpieces in Certosa Cemetery near by.
These sculptures and those at the entrance of the church were not created by accident but meant to reveal ‘The path to revelation.’
Along the main aisle here is this magnificent wooden pulpit adorning the third column. There are 3 beautiful base-reliefs showing the emblem of St Isaiah on either side while the centre shows Jesus with Peter. It was erected in 1851 by Gaetano Deserti and paid for by women in the parish.
On the opposite side there are more chapels. This one at the top near the main altar displays a beautiful terracotta sculpture painted in white – behind the actual statue of the Madonna. It’s the work of Ferrante Zambrini in 1937 and shows the Madonna and Child beside various military saints.
In the next chapel along is this 16th century Crucifix by an unknown Nordic artist.
The ninth chapel is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin represented in this canvas attributed to Gaetano Gandolfi, brother of the more famous Ubaldo. It was completed around the end of the 18th century.
At the tenth chapel is one of the oldest paintings in the church. It’s the work of Benedetto Gennari and shows St Anthony from Padova with the baby Jesus and dates to 1670. Patrizia Cantelli restored it in 2002.
Finally, the last one here displays a magnificent baptismal font by Ferrante Zambrini dating to 1937. The figure above is that of St John-the-Baptist wearing modest clothes.
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