Historical landmark
Oratorio di Santa Cecilia
Ten Renaissance frescoes by seven court painters lining a narrow chapel's entrance walls.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Oratorio di Santa Cecilia in Bologna follows the seven court painters, including Francesco Francia, Lorenzo Costa and Amico Aspertini, who were handed a shared commission around 1505 by ruler Giovanni II Bentivoglio to fresco this narrow chapel's walls. It traces the legend of Cecilia, a Roman noblewoman married to the pagan Valerian, and the wedding-night claim that set their story in motion. Stand at the far end and see if you can spot where one painter's panel ends and another's begins.
This audio guide was created using AI.