Italy—Emilia Romagna and Tuscany—3

Basilica of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Fontanellato, Emilia Romagna

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius X in 1903.

A church was built here in the 16^th Century to honor Our Blessed Mother and pilgrims started to arrive.  The current Baroque church was constructed in the 17^th Century.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

 

Basilica of the Blessed Virgin of St. Luke, Bologna, Emilia Romagna

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius X in 1903.

 

The basilica is built about 1000 feet above the city and houses an icon of the Virgin Mary attributed to St. Luke.  A church has been here since the 12^th Century, but the current Baroque church was completed in 1723.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. the Immaculate Mary, Siena, Tuscany

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius X in 1908.

The basilica was built between 1255 and 1537 and uses Gothic, Neo-Gothic, and Renaissance styles.  The church was built by the Servites shortly after the Order was established in 1234.

 All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St.  Bartholomew and St. Cajetan, Bologna, Emilia Romagna

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1924.

A church has likely been here since the 5^th Century.  This building was built in the 16^th Century and was completely renovated in the 17^th Century.  Styles include Renaissance and Baroque.

The first picture is from Dreamstime and the other two are from Wikipedia.

 

Basilica of St. Bernardine of Siena, Siena, Tuscany

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1924.

This Renaissance church is the final resting place for St. Bernardine of Siena.  It was built in the 15^th Century but had to be reconstructed after World War II.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady, Impruneta, Tuscany

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1924.

A Romanesque church was built here in the 11^th Century and eventually held an image of Our Blessed Mother possibly done by St. Luke.  The church was substantially rebuilt in a Renaissance style after it was bombed in 1944.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Dominic, Siena, Tuscany

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1925.

The church was built by the Dominicans in the 13^th Century in a Cistercian Gothic style.  St. Catherine of Siena lived nearby and often attended Mass here.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Co-Cathedral Basilica of St. Marinus, Citta di San Marino, San Marino

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1926.

The basilica is the co-cathedral for the Diocese of San-Marino-Montefeltro.  The Neoclassical church was completed in 1836 to replace a 7^th Century church.

Basilica of St. Margaret, Cortona, Tuscany

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1927.

This Neo-Gothic church dates to the 11^th Century but has been expanded several times over the centuries.  St. Margaret lived next to an earlier version of this church—a space now within the church.  She died in 1297 and is buried here.  Margaret was a Franciscan tertiary.

 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

 

Basilica of St. Mary of the Graces, San Giovanni Valdarno, Tuscany

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1929.

Since 1478, an image of Our Blessed Mother, has been venerated because of miraculous cures.  Initial construction of this church was from 1484 to 1523, but it has been enlarged and renovated since then.

 All pictures are from Wikipedia.

  

Italy—Emilia Romagna and Tuscany—2

Basilica of St. Paulinus, Lucca, Tuscany

Considered a minor basilica for centuries.

A church was here at least in the 8^th Century.  This current Renaissance church dates to the 11^th Century and honors St. Paulinus of Antioch. 

 

Pictures are from Alamy and Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Justina and St. Mary of the Assumption, Piacenza, Emilia Romagna

Considered a minor basilica for centuries.

The basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio.  The Romanesque church was built between 1122 and 1233.

 Pictures are from Dreamstime and Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Antoninus, Piacenza, Emilia Romagna

Considered a minor basilica for centuries.

The basilica was built in the 4^th Century in a Romanesque style and is dedicated to St. Antonino.  The church, which once served as the cathedral for the Diocese of Piacenza has been expanded and renovated over the years and now includes Baroque and Gothic elements.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Savino, Piacenza, Emilia Romagna

Considered a minor basilica for centuries.

The church was established as a Benedictine monastery in 903 and is dedicated to the city’s second bishop.  Renovations over the centuries have resulted in Baroque elements replacing the original Romanesque elements.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, Placenza, Emilia Romagna

Considered a minor basilica for centuries.

A church has been at this site since the 10^th Century, but this church was built in the 16^th Century.

Pictures are from Alamy and a local source.

Basilica of St. Peter, San Piero a Grado, Tuscany

Considered a minor basilica for centuries.

This Romanesque church was built between the 10^th and 12^th Centuries, and it replaced an earlier church.  It is believed to be on the site where St. Peter landed in Italy (at an ancient port) from the Holy Land in 44 AD.  A 15^th Century ciborium marks the spot where St. Peter prayed in Italy for the first time.

The first picture is from Pinterest and the others from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Annunciation of Mary, Florence, Tuscany

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius VII in 1806.

The basilica is the Mother Church of the Servite Order who built it in the mid-13^th Century.  It was initially Renaissance, but Baroque elements were later added.  Legend has it that Bartolomeo began work on a painting of Our Lady but fell asleep after despairing that he could not paint her face well enough to show her beauty.  When he awoke, the painting was completed—work Bartolomeo attributed to an angel.  The portrait hangs in the church.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Grace, Montenero, Tuscany

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius VII in 1818.

A shepherd found a Madonna in 1345, and a church was built here in 1603.  The church was replaced by the current church in 1957.  The church has more than 14,000 votive offerings.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption or Mary, Parma, Emilia Romagna

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Gregory XVI in 1834.

 The basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Parma.  The Romanesque church was built in the early 12^th Century to replace an earlier church.  There are several 16^th Century frescoes by Antonio da Correggio.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Dominic, Bologna, Emilia Romagna

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.

St. Dominic (1170-1221) moved to Bologna in 1218.  He died in 1221 and is buried in this church.  His burial shrine was designed by several artists, including Michelangelo.  Originally buried in a small church, the Dominicans expanded the building in the mid-13^th Century to its current appearance.  This church became the prototype for other Dominican churches.  A teen-aged Mozart played the pipe organ in the Rosary Chapel.  The basilica has several works of art.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.