The visit begins at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, commissioned by Alberto III in 1515 and designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi, who drew inspiration from St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

The tour continues to the Parish Church of Santa Maria in Castello – La Sagra, founded in the 8th century, renovated in the Romanesque period, and reduced in size in the 16th century.

The Church of San Bernardino da Siena (1604), built according to Counter-Reformation principles, houses a 1670 organ and a 19th-century reliquary bust of the saint, who is the patron of the city.

The Sanctuary of the Most Holy Crucifix, built around a miraculous fresco, is a refined example of Modenese Baroque, with Rococo decorations and theatrical furnishings.

Next is the Church of San Nicolò, rebuilt in 1493 and expanded in 1516 by Peruzzi, which preserves magnificent scagliola decorations and works by Bernardino Loschi.

The tour concludes at the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art “Cardinal Rodolfo Pio of Savoy”, housed in the Baroque Church of Sant’Ignazio and inaugurated in 2008. The museum exhibits works from the 16th to the 20th century.

 

Cathedral of the Assumption