The Basilica of San Petronio is a major church in Bologna, one of the largest brick Gothic buildings in the world. Although construction began in the late 14th century, the building, which was to be larger than St. Peter's Basilica, is largely unfinished since the 17th century.
The Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita was founded in the 13th century. The current building is however a baroque reconstruction of the late 17th century. Its oratori is famous for the 16th century statues it contains.
Most of the present building of the Bologna Cathedral dates back to the 17th century, with some other parts dating back to the end of the 16th century. A cathedral already existed on the site in 1028, on the present Via Indipendenza. It was accompanied by a pre-Romanesque campanile with a circular base. This church was destroyed by fire in 1141. It was rebuilt in 1184 and dedicated to Pope Lucius III. Work on the present building began in 1605. At the request of Pope Benedict XIV, a new façade was added between 1743 and 1747 according to the plans of the architect Alfonso Torreggiani.
The Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore was commissioned between 1606 and 1611 by the Barnabites to the architect Ambrogio Magenta or Mazenta. The Barnabites named the church Maggiore to distinguish it from the other two churches dedicated to St. Paul in Bologna. During the Napoleonic invasion, the Barnabites were suppressed and the church became a parish in 1819. Subsequently closed, it was rededicated in 1878. In 1959 it was returned to the Barnabites and two years later Pope John XIII gave it the title of minor basilica.
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