Church of Sant'Agostino de Reggio d'Émilie, Romanesque church in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Sant'Agostino is a Catholic church on Piazzetta Cardinale Pignedoli in Reggio Emilia's historic centre, next to the Liceo Classico Ariosto. Its 1746 façade, entirely in terracotta, was designed by Alfonso Torreggiani and has two niches with statues of Saint William and Saint Nicholas of Tolentino. The single nave, with barrel and sail vaults, was rebuilt between 1645 and 1666 to Gaspare Vigarani's design; the Romanesque apse dates from the 1452 reconstruction.
A church dedicated to Saint Apollinaris stood here by 1183 and was destroyed in 1249 during the Guelph–Ghibelline conflict. Augustinian friars rebuilt it with its convent in 1268 under the name Sant'Agostino, in Lombard Gothic style. After a fire in 1423 it was rebuilt from 1452, with the Romanesque apse and a bell tower designed by Antonio Casotti added by 1493.
The name recalls the Augustinian Hermits who rebuilt the church and convent in 1268. Inside, the left transept holds Guercino's painting of Saint Apollinaris, the church's earlier patron; the second chapel on the left has a Madonna by Palma il Vecchio, and the right transept a Saint Augustine by Girolamo Massarini.
The church is easily accessible and regularly open to visitors, especially during service times and standard opening hours. It is helpful to check the status of entrances and clarify accessibility before your visit if you have special needs.
On the entrance wall survives a mid-14th-century fresco of the Virgin and Child, painted before Gaspare Vigarani rebuilt the interior between 1645 and 1666. Look for it on the wall you pass when leaving, where the older decoration sits beneath the later vaulting.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,836 contributors worldwide.