Bologna Cathedral, consecrated in honor of the Apostle Peter - one of the main attractions of the city and Metropolitan Archbishop of Bologna. Most of the present building was built in the 17th century, and some parts have survived from the 16th century.

In the early 11th century on the site of the cathedral has stood in a church and chapel, built in the architectural tradition of Ravenna. In 1141, the church burned down during the terrible fire, but half a century later was restored and consecrated by Pope Lucius III. In 1396 the western facade was built portico. Later, in the late 15th century, artists from Ferrara Francesco del Cossa and Ercole de 'Roberti worked to create a cycle of frescoes in the Chapel Garganelli. Unfortunately, these murals have been lost as a result of the subsequent restoration works preserved only fragments.

In 1575, on the orders of Cardinal Gabriele Paleotti began a radical restructuring of the interior space of the church, which has become by the time the Department of the archbishop of Bologna. In its unaltered form they reached us only the crypt and Cappella Maggiore. Due to the large-scale renovations in 1599 collapsed the ceiling of the cathedral, and it was decided to rebuild the entire building. Construction began in 1605 and was finally completed between 1743 and 1747 years.

The building is the old chapel with a round base has never been restored, although from the 13th century until the present day such proposals appeared regularly. Today we can only see the remains of the outer walls.

The interior of this cathedral is made in the Baroque style, and creates a sense of majesty and grandeur. Here you can see Ludovico Carracci creation, Alfonso Lombardi, Cesare Mauro Trebbi. A bell tower boasts a huge bell "La Nonna" ("grandmother" in Italian) - his weight is 3300 kg!