Bologna city guide · TripCatholic

Bologna is a city of saints' bodies under the eye of a Madonna on a hill. San Domenico holds the tomb of Saint Dominic, who sent his friars here in 1218 and died in the city in 1221. Santo Stefano, a group of linked churches, was built by tradition as a copy of Jerusalem for pilgrims who could not go east. Corpus Domini keeps Saint Catherine of Bologna, seated and incorrupt, and a covered portico of 666 arches by the usual count climbs 3.8 km to the sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca, which the city has called its patroness since 1433. San Petronio on Piazza Maggiore is the civic basilica and not the cathedral, which is San Pietro. Mass in English is celebrated on Sundays at 18:00 at Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano, from September to July.

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HistoryA Catholic History of BolognaBologna's Catholic story runs from the martyrs Vitalis and Agricola, through Bishop Petronius and his copy of Jerusalem, to a university that made it the cradle of canon law. Saint Dominic died here in 1221, the Madonna of San Luca has been brought down into the city since 1433, and Saint Catherine de' Vigri sits incorrupt at Corpus Domini. Napoleon, the Mortara case and the war all left marks, and in 2026 three priests killed at Monte Sole were beatified in San Petronio.Read the full history

Top sites

Basilica Patriarcale di San DomenicoBologna, ItalyPatriarchal Basilica of the Dominican Order, built over the site where Saint Dominic lived and died, housing his bodily remains in the Arca di San Domenico, featuring early sculptures by Michelangelo.

Basilica di San PetronioBologna, ItalyCivic basilica of Bologna dedicated to the city's patron saint, housing his relics, featuring Jacopo della Quercia's Porta Magna portal, and containing a 66.8-meter astronomical meridian line.

Basilica di Santo StefanoBologna, ItalyA complex of five interconnected churches in Bologna, built by Saint Petronius as a deliberate replica of Jerusalem's holy sites, housing the relics of Bologna's protomartyr saints and the oldest surviving life-sized nativity sculpture.

Santuario del Corpus DominiBologna, ItalyShrine housing the incorrupt body of Saint Catherine of Bologna, founder of Bologna's first Poor Clare monastery, patron of artists and co-patron of the city.

Santuario della Beata Vergine di San LucaBologna, ItalyMinor basilica on the Colle della Guardia above Bologna, housing the Byzantine Hodegetria icon of the Madonna di San Luca, patroness of the city, connected to the city by a 3,796-meter portico with 15 Rosary chapels.

Portico di San LucaBologna, ItalyCovered devotional walkway of 666 arched bays climbing to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, the world's longest portico and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Santuario di Santa Maria della VitaBologna, ItalyBaroque sanctuary in Bologna's medieval center, housing Niccolò dell'Arca's 1463 Compianto sul Cristo morto, meaning Lamentation over the Dead Christ, a life-size terracotta group renowned as the most emotionally powerful sculpture of the Italian Renaissance.

Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro ApostoloBologna, ItalyCathedral church of the Archdiocese of Bologna, consecrated in 1184, housing a relic of Saint Anne, a chapel dedicated to Blessed Niccolò Albergati, and a 12th-century Romanesque crucifix above the high altar.

The Saints of Bologna

Saint Dominic
Founder of the Order of Preachers. He sent friars to Bologna in 1218, held the first two general chapters of the Order here in 1220 and 1221, and died in the city on 6 August 1221. His body lies in the Arca at San Domenico, and Bologna keeps his solemnity on 4 August.
Basilica Patriarcale di San Domenico
Saint Anthony of Padua
Saint Francis approved his teaching theology to the friars in Bologna in the early 1220s. Where he taught is disputed. The Antoniano basilica, built from 1898 to 1904, recalls his stay.
Basilica di Sant'Antonio da Padova
Blessed Niccolò Albergati
A Carthusian prior who became bishop of Bologna in 1417 and a cardinal in 1426, and a papal peacemaker. He died in Siena in 1443 and is buried in Florence. The cathedral has a chapel named for him and keeps the relic of Saint Anne that he received in 1435.
Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro Apostolo
Saint Anne
The mother of the Virgin Mary. A relic of Saint Anne, given in 1435 to Niccolò Albergati by the King of England, is kept in the cathedral of San Pietro.
Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro Apostolo
Saint Cajetan
Founder of the Theatines. A Baroque fresco cycle honoring him fills the church of Saints Bartholomew and Cajetan, where the English Mass is celebrated.
Basilica Collegiata dei Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano

Beyond the churches

Views, walks and the town between the churches.

The Torre dell'Orologio, and the closed Two Towers
The Asinelli Tower, the taller of the Two Towers, has been closed to climbers since 23 October 2023, until further notice, while the leaning Garisenda is monitored (Bologna Welcome booking page and news page, read on 30 October 2026). The towers stand a few steps from Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano and are best seen from the street. The same tourism board offers instead a climb of the Clock Tower at Palazzo d'Accursio, beside Piazza Maggiore, for which you book ahead.
Basilica Collegiata dei Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano

Itineraries

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In Bologna

1 day · 5 sitesBologna's Marian City: the Madonna of San LucaFrom the icon on the hill to Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mount Carmel

1 day · 5 sitesHalf a Day in Catholic BolognaSaint Dominic's tomb, Saint Catherine, Santo Stefano and San Petronio in about four hours on foot

Day trips from Bologna

Collections

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7 sitesThe Dominican Road from Bologna to RomeWhere the Order of Preachers built its churches from Bologna to Rome

5 sitesThe Friars' Basilicas of BolognaDominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians, Carmelites and Servites, each with a great church

6 sitesHidden Gems of Bologna: Quiet Churches Worth the DetourSix lesser known churches with a clear reason to go inside

6 sitesBologna: A City That Built JerusalemWhat a medieval city made for pilgrims who could not go east

8 sitesSaints' Tombs Near BolognaSeven towns near Bologna, each with the tomb of a saint

5 sitesWhere the Saints Rest in BolognaThe tombs of Dominic, Catherine, Petronius, Vitalis and Agricola, and a relic of Saint Anne

Featured Events

Good to know

No. Her chapel at Corpus Domini opens only on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 18:00, and on Sunday from 10:00 to 11:15 and 16:00 to 18:00. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday she cannot be seen, because the round window beside the high altar is closed for restoration (sanctuary page and Bologna Welcome, checked on 30 October 2026). She is Catherine of Bologna, not Catherine of Siena.

Article · 6 minSaint Catherine of Bologna and Her Chapel at Corpus DominiRead

No. San Petronio is the civic basilica that the city council decided to build in 1388 and the commune began in 1390. The cathedral of the archdiocese is San Pietro, on Via Indipendenza. San Petronio opens at 10:00 and has no lunch closing, while the cathedral opens at 07:00 from Monday to Saturday and at 08:00 on Sunday (basilica's site and Bologna Welcome, checked on 30 October 2026).

Article · 5 minBologna Cathedral and Why San Petronio Is Not ItRead

The basilica is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:50. Its museum is free. The chapels route, which includes the Magi chapel, costs 5 euros, 3 reduced, and is free for religious (basilicadisanpetronio.org, checked on 30 October 2026). The terrace is permanently closed. Shoulders and knees must be covered, hats are taken off, and luggage is not allowed. Mass is at 11:00 on weekdays.

Article · 7 minSan Petronio: Tickets, Hours and the Unfinished FacadeRead

Take the San Luca Express tourist train from the stop at Piazza Maggiore or Piazza Galvani, beside San Petronio. It costs 15 euros, 8 reduced and 3 for children under 5, includes a return the same day, and lasts an hour (Bologna Welcome, checked on 30 October 2026). City bus 58 also climbs to the hill, with gaps in its day, so check the TPER timetable. The sanctuary is open every day from 07:00 to 18:00.

Article · 6 minGetting to San Luca Without the WalkRead

The icon is carried down the portico on the Saturday 34 days after Easter, blessed over the city from the steps of San Petronio on the Wednesday, and carried back on Ascension Sunday, which Bologna keeps on the Sunday. In 2027 that is Saturday 1 May, Wednesday 5 May and Sunday 9 May. The 2027 program is not published yet. The descent has been made in most years since 1433, not in every year.

Article · 7 minThe Madonna of San Luca Comes Down in MayRead

They stand for Deo Optimo Maximo, Latin for "to God, the Best, the Greatest." It was a Roman formula for Jupiter that Christians took over for God, and Renaissance churches and tombs, especially in Italy, carry it.

Cover shoulders and knees in every church and take hats off. San Petronio adds that it does not admit tank tops, short skirts, sheer clothing or low necklines, suitcases, large luggage, food or drink (basilica's site, checked on 30 October 2026). The Italy wide article gives the dress code for the country.

Article · 6 minWhat to Wear in Italian Churches: the Dress CodeRead

Santo Stefano is closed on Mondays except holiday Mondays, when the church of the Crucifix opens from 18:00 to 19:30 for the 18:30 Mass, and Saint Catherine's chapel is shut. San Petronio, San Domenico, the cathedral, Santa Maria della Vita and the sanctuary of San Luca are open, and some civic museums close on Mondays (church and Genus Bononiae pages, checked on 30 October 2026).

Article · 5 minWhat Is Open in Bologna on Sundays, Mondays and HolidaysRead

One long day covers San Domenico, San Petronio, Santo Stefano and Santa Maria della Vita. A second day adds San Luca, so we call two nights the pilgrim's minimum and three a good first visit, with a day trip on the third. One night works only if you arrive by mid afternoon on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, to see Saint Catherine and climb to San Luca the next morning.

Article · 4 minHow Many Days in Bologna?Read

Stay near San Domenico for the late Masses and confessions, between the Two Towers and Santo Stefano for the English Mass, or near Porta Saragozza for San Luca at dawn. The Dominican convent of San Domenico runs a guesthouse that takes anyone, and a few retreat houses take groups. Trade fairs, such as Cosmoprof on 18 to 21 March 2027 and Cersaie from 27 September to 1 October 2027, fill the hotels.

Article · 3 minWhere to Stay in BolognaRead

Yes. The high speed train takes about 40 minutes from Florence, so check the day, and regional trains take 46 to 111 minutes, according to e656.net on 30 October 2026. Plan San Domenico, San Petronio from 10:00, Santo Stefano and Santa Maria della Vita, and add Saint Catherine only before noon on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday. Florence has a guide of its own, and so does Padua, an hour from Bologna.