The pope's sanctuary: two saints, one holy relic, and a father-son

A church or chapel existed on the hill for about a thousand years. Tradition holds that in the 12th-century, a pilgrim from the Byzantine Empire came to Bologna with an icon of the Virgin Mary from the Temple of St Sophia in Constantinople. Two holy women, Azzolina and Beatrice Guezi, tended a small hermitage-chapel atop the hill. Construction of a church began in 1193. In 1294, the Dominican order came to the site and remained there until 1799. The present church was constructed in 1723, with designs by Carlo Francesco Dotti.

The lateral external tribunes were built by his son, Giovanni Giacomo, according to his father’s plans. The centrally planned sanctuary has painted artworks by Domenico Pestrini, Donato Creti, Guido Reni, Giuseppe Maria Mazza, Vittorio Bigari and Guercino. The church is part of the Porticoes of Bologna UNESCO World Heritage site. The Portico di San Luca is 3.8 kilometres long and consists of 666 arches, linking Porta Saragozza to the sanctuary.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons