San Giorgio in Poggiale Art Library

Why is it significant?

Step beneath the refined portal of San Giorgio in Poggiale at number 20 Via Nazario Sauro, one of the most breathtaking cultural transformations in Bologna.

Key Facts

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Step beneath the refined portal of San Giorgio in Poggiale at number 20 Via Nazario Sauro, one of the most breathtaking cultural transformations in Bologna. Originally erected between 1589 and 1621 by architect Tommaso Martelli for the Servite Order, this monumental church suffered catastrophic devastation during an Allied bombing raid on September 25, 1943, which shattered its vaults and reduced its Baroque interior to rubble. Rather than abandon the historic ruin, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna commissioned celebrated architect Michele De Lucchi in 2009 to reimagine the sacred space as a public art and humanities library. Today, soaring steel book towers rise into the cavernous brick nave, framing dramatic contemporary art installations by Claudio Parmiggiani and Arnaldo Pomodoro against raw, exposed seventeenth-century brickwork. The contrast between ancient sacred ruins and modern design creates an awe-inspiring sanctuary for quiet study. The interplay between raw historic brickwork and contemporary steel shelving makes this library one of Italy s most striking cultural venues, celebrating the resilience of art and knowledge through wartime adversity.

Look closely at Claudio Parmiggiani's haunting site-specific installation Campo dei Fiori: thousands of discarded historic books, charred and deliberately blackened by fire, are stacked into a towering monument beneath the nave, silently commemorating the fragile persistence of human memory and knowledge through the horrors of war. The emotional impact on visitors is profound and unforgettable.

The library houses over one hundred and sixty thousand rare volumes, manuscripts, and historic photographs dedicated exclusively to the history, art, and culture of Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna region, making it an invaluable resource for scholars.

Look high upon the bare brick walls: you can still discern the faded outlines of seventeenth-century frescoed arches that miraculously survived the wartime bombardment.

Walk northeast along Via Marsala and turn onto Via Piella to discover Bologna's famous canal window.