Italy—Emilia Romagna and Tuscany—4
Basilica of Our Lady of Humility, Pistoia, Tuscany
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1931.
A small church here had a fresco that dripped blood from the forehead of Our Blessed Mother. This church was replaced by the current Renaissance church in the 16th Century.
Pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, San Gimignano, Tuscany
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1932.
The Romanesque Basilica was built in the 12th Century to replace a 10th Century
church. The church has numerous
frescoes.
Pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of the Holy Cross and St. Francis, Florence, Tuscany
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1933.
The basilica was built between 1294 and 1385 in a variety of styles and may have replaced an earlier church founded perhaps by St. Francis. It is the largest Franciscan church in the world and has 16 chapels, many decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils. It is the burial place for many notable Italians, including Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini, and Machiavelli.
All pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. Francis, Bologna, Emilia Romagna
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1935.
After St. Francis visited Bologna 1222, the Franciscans built this Romanesque and French Gothic church between 1236 and 1263. It has been heavily damaged during several wars but has been restored.
Pictures are from Wikipedia, a local source, and Trip Advisor.
Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Poggibonsi, Tuscany
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1938.
The Franciscans built a church here in the 13th Century and replaced it with a Gothic church between 1326 and 1475. This church was heavily damaged by a fire in 1655. It was rebuilt in a Neo-Gothic style in the 18th Century.
From a local source.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Prisons, Prato, Tuscany
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1939.
A child noticed that an image of the Madonna and Child painted on the wall of the local jail suddenly became animated. This church was built in the late 15th Century to commemorate this event. It is an early example of a Greek cross plan using Renaissance architecture.
Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, Bologna, Emilia Romagna
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1939.
The brick church was built by the Franciscans from 1898 to 1904 in a neo-Gothic style. It is named for St. Anthony who lived in Bologna from 1222 to 1224 preaching against heresies.
Basilica of St. Martin, Bologna, Emilia Romagna
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1941.
The basilica was built in the early 13th Century and given to the Carmelite fathers. The Gothic church has been renovated several times including in 1929. The pipe organ dates to 1556.
The first two pictures are from TripAdvisor and the last two are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of St. Lawrence, Martyr, Monticelli d’Ongina, Emilia Romagna
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1942.
The basilica was built in the late 15th Century and was considered the most beautiful church in the area to the point that at one time it was directly under the purview of the Pope and not a church of any diocese.
Both pictures are from local sources.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rock, Bibbiena, Tuscany
Declared
a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1942.
Our Blessed Mother appeared to a young girl in 1347 and gave her some beans. When the girl’s mother cooked the beans, they were full of blood. This was later seen as an omen of a plague that devastated Europe the following year, but spared Bibbiena. The Dominicans were given control of the church in the 15th Century and built the current church.
All pictures are from Wikipedia.
