Guide - Santa Maria della Vita

In the heart of the Quadrilatero, the ancient historical and economic centre of Bologna, the Complex of Santa Maria della Vita is part of the Genus Bononiae museum itinerary of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna now managed by Opera Laboratori. 

Its history is closely linked to the Confraternita dei Battuti, present in the city since 1260 and dedicated to welcoming pilgrims and caring for the sick. For several centuries it was in fact the site of a hospital, later transferred for health needs, while in the 19th century the complex remained a religious centre.

The historical-artistic itinerary of this bilingual (Italian/English) guide winds its way through the Sanctuary and the Oratory, focusing on a series of works (the Madonna della Vita, the Jewel of the Sun King, the Via Crucis, the Madonna and Child with Saints, the Death of the Virgin). The Lamentation by Niccolò dell'Arca dominates them all. The so-called ‘Scream of Stone’, an absolute masterpiece of 15th-century sculpture, commissioned by the Confraternity, whose seven terracotta figures express all the drama of the event.