Sanctuary of San Luca

Church in Bologna

The Sanctuary of San Luca, situated on Colle della Guardia, has served as both a religious sanctuary and a symbol of Bologna for countless years. It is connected to the city centre by a road that stretches for four kilometres, beginning at Porta Saragozza and featuring a remarkable portico boasting over 600 archways. This extraordinary portico is recognized as the longest in the world and, together with Bologna’s other iconic porticoes, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2021.

Construction of the portico commenced in 1674, while the tradition of a procession taking place during Ascension week, where the Byzantine Madonna with Child is carried to the Cathedral along this path, dates back even earlier to 1433. As for the Sanctuary church itself, it was built in the 18th century as a replacement for the previous 15th-century structure.

From the sanctuary, visitors can enjoy breath-taking views of the surrounding landscape. Moreover, the introduction of a panoramic terrace in 2017, located 42 meters above Colle della Guardia (300 meters above sea level), allows visitors to revel in a unique 180° panorama of Bologna, stretching from the hills to the city centre and extending as far as Casalecchio di Reno.

The Sanctuary of San Luca appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Bologna!

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