The Oratory of Saints Cecilia and Valeriano is a religious site in central

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, found on Via Zamboni, contiguous to the portico of the church of

San Giacomo Maggiore The Basilica of San Giacomo Maggiore is an historic Roman Catholic church in Bologna, region of Emilia Romagna, Italy, serving a monastery of Augustinian friars. It was built starting in 1267 and houses, among the rest, the Bentivoglio Chapel, f ...

. The oratory was built at the site of a Romanesque church commissioned by the then ruler of Bologna

Giovanni II Bentivoglio Giovanni II Bentivoglio (12 February 144315 February 1508) was an Italian nobleman who ruled as tyrant of Bologna from 1463 until 1506. He had no formal position, but held power as the city's "first citizen." The House of Bentivoglio, Bentivogli ...

. It was frescoed starting in 1505 by series of Renaissance painters associated with the Bentivoglio court, including

Francesco Francia __NOTOC__ Francesco Francia, whose real name was Francesco Raibolini (1447 – 5 January 1517) was an Italian painter, goldsmith, and medallist from Bologna, who was also director of the city mint.Levinson:492 He may have trained with Marco Zop ...

Lorenzo Costa Lorenzo Costa (1460 – 5 March 1535) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born at Ferrara, but moved to Bologna by his early twenties, and was probably influenced by the Bolognese school, Bolognese School. However, many artists worked in ...

and Amico Aspertini. The frescoes cover the walls flanking the oratory entrance. In ten panels, divided by pilaster strips in decorated grotteschi, scenes from the life of

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...

and her husband Valerian are described. The individual attribution of all the panels is not entirely clear; they depict: #Marriage of

Cecilia Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. History The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for g ...

and Valerian #Valerian converted by Pope Saint Urban #Valerian baptized by the Pope Urban #Saints Cecilia and Valerian crowned by an angel #Martyrdom of Saints Valerian and Tiburtius (attributed to Aspertini) #Burial of the Martyrs (attributed to Aspertini) #Trial of Saint Cecilia #Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia #St Cecilia donates all her goods to the poor #Burial of Saint Cecilia Other artist involved in these or later works include Francesco Cavazzoni,

Tiburzio Passarotti Tiburzio Passarotti or Passerotti (1553 – 22 November 1612) was an Italian painter, primarily of religious subjects. Biography Passarotti was born in Bologna. He was the eldest son of the painter Bartolomeo Passarotti. At the age of eightee ...

(Son of

Bartolomeo Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo is a masculine Italian given name, the Italian equivalent of Bartholomew. Its diminutive form is Baccio. Notable people with the name include: * Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo (1824–1860), Italian paleobotanist and ...

), Cesare Baglioni, Cesare Tamaroccio, Giovanni Maria Chiodarolo, Bartolomeo Bagnacavallo, and

Biagio Pupini Biagio Pupini (c.1490 - c.1575) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in his native city of Bologna. He was known to be active mainly during 1530–1540. He was a disciple of Francesco Francia __NOTOC__ Francesco Fra ...

. The main altarpiece was a ''Crucifixion'' by Giacomo Francia, now held in the

Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna The National Art Gallery of Bologna (''Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna'') is a museum in Bologna, Italy. It is located in the former Saint Ignatius Jesuit novitiate of the city's University district, and inside the same building that houses the ...

, as well as a 14th-century fresco once outside the chapel by Giovanni di Ottonello.Entry on Oratory.
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Gallery

Francesco Francia - Legend of Sts Cecilia and Valerian, Scene 1 - WGA08179.jpg, The Marriage of Cecilia and Valerian Lorenzo Costa - Legend of Sts Cecilia and Valerian, Scene 2 - WGA05425.jpg, Conversion of Valerian by pope Urban by Costa Amico Aspertini, Oratorio di Santa Cecilia, Martyrdom of Valerian and his brother Tiburtius.jpg, Martyrdom of Valerian and Tiburtius by Aspertini Amico Aspertini, Oratorio di Santa Cecilia, Burial of Valerian and Tiburtius.jpg, Burial of Valerian and Tiburtius, by Aspertini Lorenzo Costa - Legend of Sts Cecilia and Valerian, Scene 9 - WGA05426.jpg, Charity of St Cecilia by Costa File:Francesco Francia - Legend of Sts Cecilia and Valerian, Scene 10 - WGA08184.jpg, Burial of St Cecilia, by Francia

References

External links

Roman Catholic churches in Bologna {{EmiliaRomagna-RC-church-stub