170 Churches to Explore in Italy

The Abbey of San Fruttuoso is located on the Italian Riviera between Camogli and Portofino. It is the seat of the Catholic parish with the same name of the Vicariate of Recco-Uscio-Camogli, Archdiocese of Genoa. The abbey is located in a small bay under a steep wooded hill. It can only be reached by sea or by footpaths, there is no road access.

The abbey of San Michele Arcangelo is an abbey that rises in Monticchio, whose construction dates back to the eighth century AD, around a cave inhabited by Basilian monks. It was built on a cave dug into the tuff, near which votive deposits dating back to the IV-III century BC were found. The abbey then passed to the Benedictines, to the Capuchins, and, in 1782 to the Constantinian military order, which owned it until 1866. The entire complex consists of a multi-story convent, an eighteenth-cen

The abbey basilica of San Miniato is located in one of the highest places in the city of Florence and is one of the best examples of Florentine Romanesque. It has the dignity of a minor basilica. There are five abbeys in Florence and its surroundings: Badia Fiesolana to the north, Badia a Settimo to the west, San Miniato abbey to the south, Badia a Ripoli to the east, and Badia Fiorentina in the center. It has been described as one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany.

The Abbazia di Santo Spirito del Morrone is a former monastery some five kilometers outside of the town of Sulmona, at the base of Monte Morrone, in the Province of L'Aquila, region of Abruzzo, Italy. This was the main abbey of the Celestine order, a Benedictine order offshoot. By the 19th century, the abbey was deconsecrated, functioning more recently as a prison. In the last decades, restoration has proceeded and it now serves as a Museum.

San Galgano Abbey was built in the early 13th century and is a Cistercian abbey that lies in the municipality of Chiusdino. The place is rich in history and is reminiscent of the medieval times during which it was built. It was a Romanesque church that was a jewel in its time but now lies in ruins. With its architecture and design, it can easily be deduced that it used to be magnificent during its Gothic times. Nearby are the chapel or Eremo or Rotonda di Montesiepi, the tomb of Saint Galgano, a

The abbey of Sant'Antimo is a formerly Benedictine monastic complex, located at Castelnuovo dell'Abate, within the municipality of Montalcino, in the province of Siena. It is one of the most important architectures of the Tuscan Romanesque. It is one of the most beautiful monuments in an ancient Roman style, which also has elements of the French and Lombardy styles.

Amalfi Cathedral is a 9th-century Roman Catholic structure in the Piazza del Duomo, Amalfi, Italy. It is dedicated to the Apostle Saint Andrew. It is the religious, historic, and cultural heart of Amalfi. Its role in the daily life of the Amalfitans is just as important now as it has been for centuries. Begun in the 9th and 10th centuries, it has been added to and redecorated several times, overlaying Arab-Norman, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque elements, and finally a new 19th-century Norman-Arab

The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore houses a chapel entirely frescoed by Pintoricchio, commissioned by Troilo Baglioni, between the end of the summer of 1500 and the spring of 1501. In the chapel is the self-portrait of the artist, a sort of provocative response to the self-portrait of another great artist of Perugian painting Pietro Vannucci known as Perugino: Bernardino figure with the face of three quarters, the features hollowed out and almost suffering but proud.

The baptistery of Parma is a Catholic place of worship for the baptismal rite, located in Piazza Duomo, next to the cathedral, in Parma, in the province and diocese of Parma; it is considered as the junction point between Romanesque and Gothic architecture. It was commissioned to Benedetto Antelami, who began its decoration in 1196. was commissioned to Benedetto Antelami, who began its decoration in 1196.

The basilica of Santo Domingo is a religious building in Siena, in the region of Tuscany in Italy. The church was begun in 1226–1265, but was enlarged in the 14th century resulting in the Gothic appearance it has now. However, aspects of the Gothic structure were subsequently destroyed by fires in 1443, 1456, and 1531, and further damage later resulted from military occupation it houses the relics of St. Catherine and the original portrait of her painted by her contemporary and friend, Andrea Va

The Bari Cathedral is a religious building of Bari in the region of Apulia in Italy. Although less known than the Basilica of San-Nicola is the seat of the archbishopric of Bari-Bitonto. It is dedicated to Sabin Canosa, a bishop of the vi th century whose relics were made to the ix th century . The current building was built between the xii th and xiii th centuries, on the site of the ruins of the imperial Byzantine cathedral destroyed in 1156 by William I st of Sicily.

The basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo is the largest church in Venice and one of the most surprising. Inside you can find the tombs of 27 doges and some paintings from important artists. the funeral services of all of Venice's doges were held here, and twenty-five doges are buried in the church.

The Basilica Della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato is a Catholic cathedral in Genoa, northern Italy; its decoration employed the major Baroque studios and artists in Genoa in the 17th century. The facade of the church is its newest feature, dating from the mid-1800s. The clean white exterior gives no indication of the explosion of color and ornamentation you'll find when you walk inside. It was one of the main attractions in this area and also a tourist attraction too.

The basilica and sanctuary of San Biagio is the main place of Catholic worship in the municipality of Maratea, in Basilicata. It is the religious heart of the local Christian community and guardian of the relics of the patron Biagio. It is built on the highest point of the old town of Maratea, known as the Castle, and is its parish church. Tradition has it that it arose on the site of a pagan temple dedicated to Minerva. In 1940 it was elevated to the dignity of a minor basilica.

The basilica of San Lorenzo is one of the main Catholic places of worship in Florence, located in the homonymous square in the historic center of the city. It is one of the churches that compete for the title of oldest in the city and has the dignity of minor basilica. The tourist market of San Lorenzo is held near the church. For three hundred years it was the city's cathedral before the official seat of the bishop was transferred to Santa Reparata.

The Basilica di San Petronio is one of the largest churches in the world and Bologna’s Gothic masterpiece. Although construction began in the late 14th century, the building, which was to be larger than St. Peter's Basilica, is largely unfinished since the 17th century. It has been the seat of the relics of Bologna's patron saint only since 2000; until then they were preserved in the Santo Stefano church of Bologna.

San Pietro in Vincoli is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome. It was built during the fifth century to house the relic of Saint Peter’s chains when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem. The church is also renowned because it houses Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. Pilgrims and art lovers flock to this 5th-century basilica for two reasons: to marvel at Michelangelo's colossal Moses sculpture and to see the chains that are said to have bound St Peter when he was imprisoned in the C

The basilica of San Simplicio, in Olbia, is the most important and ancient religious monument in northeastern Sardinia and a testimony to the spread of Christianity on the island. Cathedral until 1839, parish church since 1955, it was awarded the title of minor basilica in 1993 by Pope John Paul II . It is dedicated to Saint Simplicio, proto-bishop of the city and martyr under the emperor Diocletian, today patron saint of the diocese of Tempio-Ampurias and Olbia.

San Vitale is a minor basilica, as well as a parish and titular church, located at Via Nazionale 194/B in the Rione Monti. It is one of eight structures in Ravenna inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Roman Catholic Church has designated the building a "basilica", an honorific title bestowed on exceptional church buildings of historic and ecclesial importance.

The Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore one of the most beautiful and better-preserved examples of Romanesque architecture in the whole of Northern Italy. This large Romanesque basilica, with cloisters and a separate bell tower, was part of a Benedictine monastery that often housed the German Roman emperors. The marvelous building is easy to admire even without an understanding of all the underlying symbolism of the art and style elements.