San Pietro, Minor basilica in Perugia, Italy.
San Pietro is a basilica in Perugia with three naves, ionic columns, and a gilded coffered ceiling decorated with paintings from the 15th to 19th centuries. The complex extends through three cloisters leading to a botanical garden, a medieval garden, an art gallery, and a library with ancient manuscripts.
The complex was founded in 965 by monk Pietro Vincioli on an ancient Etruscan-Roman sacred site where a cathedral had stood in the 6th century. This long continuity shows how the place held religious importance across the centuries.
The church holds a major collection of paintings by Perugino, including five predella panels from the San Pietro Polyptych that you can see during your visit. These works show the artistic power of the Renaissance in Umbria.
Visitors can explore the basilica and surrounding areas on foot, all connected and easy to navigate through. It is worth setting aside time to see both the church and the gardens and art collection.
Below the apse lies a circular early medieval crypt with an ambulatory and walls decorated with geometric patterns. This hidden sanctuary reveals the early layers of the place's religious use.
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