- Nicola Pisano's sarcophagus
- Niccolò dell'Arca's crown
- Michelangelo's angel
- the raised tombs in the square
01What it is
Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominican order, died in Bologna in 1221, and the Basilica di San Domenico was built over his burial. It stands on a quiet square south of the center.
02The Arca
His tomb, the Arca di San Domenico, was made in stages. The sarcophagus, with its carved scenes of the saint's life, is by Nicola Pisano and his workshop in the thirteenth century. The crowning top was added two hundred years later by a sculptor who took his name from the work: Niccolò dell'Arca.
When Niccolò died before finishing, the job went to a nineteen-year-old from Florence, Michelangelo, who carved three of the small figures in the 1490s: Saint Petronius, Saint Proculus and a kneeling angel holding a candlestick.
03The square outside
In Piazza San Domenico, two medieval tombs stand raised on columns and little roofs. They belong to law teachers of the university — a reminder that in la Dotta a professor could be buried like a saint.
Note The basilica is a working church. Visits pause during services.