Santo Stefano in Bologna
Type:
Religious complexes
Date:
Twelfth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Italy
Description:
The complex dedicated to Santo Stefano in Bologna was originally founded in the fifth century and modeled on Jerusalem, in particular the Constantinian Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Although the early buildings in Bologna were later replaced, the twelfth-century complex was built in the same spirit, inspired by the Byzantine restoration of the Holy Sepulcher in 1048 (the Holy Sepulcher had been destroyed in 1008). The plan and aerial view reveal its multiple churches, a cloister, and the so-called Courtyard of Pilate. The desire to recall Jerusalem is especially clear from the octagonal shape of Bologna's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, with its dome, internal colonnade of twelve supports, and ambulatory around a model of Christ's tomb. Relics corresponding to those at the original Holy Sepulcher, as well as the placements of chapels and even the off-center position of the original tomb, all increased the connections between the model site and its copy.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
7
Image Credits:
Google, Wikimedia Commons
