San Procolo is an early Gothic-style,

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church and former monastery-hospital located on Via Massimo D'Azeglio #52 in central

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, region of

Emilia Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both also ; ; egl, Emégglia-Rumâgna or ''Emîlia-Rumâgna''; rgn, Emélia-Rumâgna) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy, situated in the north of the country, comprising the historical regions ...

, Italy.

History

The church was erected by

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

Monks from the

Abbey of Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ...

by 1087. It was dedicated to the martyred soldier Proculus of Bologna. The church and adjacent monastery remained under Benedictine rule, until 1796, when Napoleon suppressed the Benedictine order in Bologna. The Benedictine order, in addition to its contemplative activities, maintained a hostel for pilgrims. In 1297, an adjacent hospital was converted into a hospital, run by nuns of the order of ''Santa Maria degli Angioli'' or ''degl'Innocenti'', for the abandoned children. In the early 19th century, the ''Ospizio degli Esposti'' was moved from elsewhere in Bologna to this monastery.

Architecture

A major reconstruction of the church started at the end of the 14th century under a Bartolomeo Gillij. A new façade was added in 1400. The Gothic tracery of the ceiling was added from 1383 to 1407. From 1535 to 1557 the architect

Antonio Morandi Antonio Morandi, also called ''Il Terribilia'' (1508 – 1568) was an Italian architect of the late-Renaissance period. He was born and died in Bologna, and was active there. He helped reconstruct San Procolo (1535-1557) and San Giacomo Maggiore ...

also called ''Terribilia'' participated in reconstruction. In 1744, the architect Carlo Francesco Dotti directed the reconstruction of the interior, which was stopped under the Napoleonic rule. The brick façade was refurbished in the 19th century. The adjacent monastery has cloister was built in 1577 designed by Domenico Tibaldi. A second cloister was started in 1622 designed by Giulio della Torre, and restored in 1734 by Luigi Casoli. At this time a statue of San Procolo was erected by Angelo Pio in this courtyard.

Interior

To the right of the entrance, the first altar has a depiction of the ''Crucifixion with Sant'Andrea, Magdalen, and San Giovanni'' attributed to Giacomo Lippi (Jacopone da Budrio), moved her from the deconsecrated Sant Andrea degli Ansaldi. This altar once held a painting by Giovanni Battista Grati (1651-1758) a pupil of Mattioli, Pasinelli, and Dal Sole, and member of the Accademia Clementina. The second altar has a ''Glory of St Benedict'' by Bartolommeo Cesi. In 1764, the chapel was refurbished with an altarpiece by Pietro Maria Scandellari, and decorated by Raimondi Compagnini, Gaetano Caponeri, and Lorenzo Pranzini with prospective design of Antonio Galli Bibiena. The third chapel, ''Capella del Crocifisso'', is a relief of Christ attributed to Floriano del Buono. The fourth chapel has a work depicting the ''Virgin with Benedictine Saints'' by Ercole Graziani the Younger. The main altar (1744-1745) was designed

Alfonso Torreggiani Alfonso Torreggiani (1682–1764) was an Italian architect of the Rococo period, principally associated with Bologna. Life Torregiani was born in Budrio. An apprentice of Giuseppe Antonio Torri, he became intensely active in the city of Bol ...

with a tabernacle by Giacomo Molinari, with silver-work by Bonaventura Gambari, and statues by Toselli. The choir was designed by Giulio Dalla Torre and Carlo Francesco Dotti, with paintings by

Giuseppe Pedretti Giuseppe Pedretti (26 February 1697 – 27 May 1778) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque or Rococo period, active mainly in Bologna. Biography Born in Bologna, at the age of 15, he began training, despite the opposition of his family ...

depicting the ''Martyrdom of St Proculus''. The engraved wooden choir stalls are by Maestro Andrea di Pietro Campana. The chapels on the left side included a ''St Cyrus with the Madonna'' by the school of

Carlo Cignani Carlo Cignani (15 May 1628 – 8 September 1719) was an Italian painter. His innovative style referred to as his 'new manner' introduced a reflective, intimate mood of painting and presaged the later pictures of Guido Reni and Guercino, as well a ...

. In the chapel of the Holy Sacrament is a Last Supper by Ginerva Cantofoli. The fresco decoration of the chapel is by Onofrio Zanotti. The first chapel on the left, holding since the 13th century the relics of both the martyrs Proculus of Bologna and Pozzuoli, was refurbished in 1750 by Alfonso Torreggiani and Antonio Cartolari. Quadratura by Michele Mastellari. The main altarpiece was by Francesco l'Anges (born 1675). In the Refectory is a canvas depicting ''The Miracle of the Fishes'' (1607) by Lionello Spada. It is also noticed that the church includes a canvas by

Alessandro Tiarini Alessandro Tiarini (20 March 1577 – 8 February 1668) was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School. Biography Alessandro Tiarini was born in Bologna. His mother died when he was a child, and he was raised by an aunt. Early on his f ...

(1639-40). Among those buried in the church was Bulgaro the jurist; Bartolomeo Cesi,

, Girolamo Pilotta, and Luigia Maria Rosa Alboni (painters); and Anna Morandi Manzolini (wax modeller); Nicolo Donati (architect); and

Carlo Nessi Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

(sculptor).Diocese of Bologna 1951.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Procolo Roman Catholic churches in Bologna Gothic architecture in Bologna 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy