Bologna San Benedetto Abate
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San Benedetto Abate Photos
About San Benedetto Abate
The church of San Benedetto Abate was built in the XII century and founded literally just outside the second perimeter of walls around the ancient city referred to as the torresotti. It was placed in the care of Benedictine monks that came from the monastery of Sant’ Elena of Sacerno just outside Porta San Felice. It then passed in 1529 to the friars of St Francis of Paola.
In 1606 Giovan Battista Ballarini redesigned it with the porticoes at the front added to divert the traffic away from the entrance.
Along the left hand side is the baptistery with a very special and quite famous water font created by Verrocchio mid to late 1700s.
The first chapel next to it displays a wooden crucifix and statue of Christ in polychrome stucco. It dates to the early 1400s and is believed to have come from the church of San Giovanni which was suppressed early. The frescoes of three virtues above it were completed by Giacomo Cavedoni.
This statue of the Sacred Heart dates to 1892.
In the next chapel is a canvas of the Annunciation by Ercole Procaccini late 1500s. Other paintings on the vault were executed by Cavedoni again.
This next one is dedicated to the Nazarene, so called after the terracotta statue on the altar from 1600 which represents the Ecce Homo. The painting above it is quite vivid and astonishing in detail. It was the work of Lucio Massari in 1615 and shows a meeting with the baby Jesus cradled in his Mother’s arms and St Catherine of Alessandria. The two saints to the side of them are St Benedict and St Mauro. The smaller paintings at the sides are also attributed to Massari.
The last exhibit here is this ‘Madonna of Oblation’ or ‘Madonna of Hope’. It was completed by the XIV century artist Lippo Dalmasio and actually formed part of another bigger composition.
In 1806 after the suppression of the St Francis friars, their convent was sold over to private ownership and demolished while the material was used to construct the embankment of the Montagnola Gardens nearby. The church retained the title of the parish and was assigned an independent priest.
Behind the main altar are three paintings. The large canvas depicts two saints Benedict and Francesco of Paolo in front of Mary with the body of Christ. It was executed by Cesare Aretusi and Gian Battista Fiorini late 1500s. The works on either side were by Guardassoni and show Moses and his brother Aronne.
Going along the opposite side from the altar is this first chapel displaying Madonna in sorrow who also happens to be holding the crown of thorns. It was completed by Alessandro Tiarini around the mid 1600s.
This polychrome statue of the Madonna dating to 1873 was by Prudenzio Piccioli of Spilamberto.
The next statue of Francesco of Paolo was created by Angelo Piò in the 1700s.
This canvas showing the Madonna of Rosary is quite recent and dates to 1950 by Andrea Galvan.
The last chapel next to the entrance displays this small painting of Mary as a Child with her mother St Anna by Alessandro Guardassoni late 1800s. Above it is a small oval painting depicting St Anthony of Padova with the baby Jesus by Cavedoni is from the 1600s.
In 1892 following the opening of the way onto via dell’Indipendenza, the church experienced a radical turn in orientation from east to west away from via Galliera where there’s still a doorway. This meant that the east-west layout of the church was altered and now these frescoes on the vault by Mastellari in 1882 are in fact in the reverse order for the route followed by the modern day visitor.
References
Marcello Fini, Bologna sacra. Tutte le chiesa in due millenni di storia, Bologna 2007, p40.
Information pamphlet from San Benedetto Abate.