San Paolo Maggiore, Bologna, Minor basilica in central Bologna, Italy

San Paolo Maggiore is a minor basilica in central Bologna featuring a brick and stone facade with statues of Saints Peter and Paul. The interior contains numerous artworks, including paintings by notable masters and frescoes that cover the vaults overhead.

The Barnabites commissioned the church between 1606 and 1611 from the architect Ambrogio Magenta (or Mazenta), with funding mainly from Prince Virgilio Spada, brother of Cardinal Bernardino Spada. They called it Maggiore to distinguish it from two other churches of San Paolo in Bologna. Suppressed under Napoleon, it became a parish church in 1819, was reconsecrated in 1878, returned to the Barnabites in 1959 and raised to minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1961.

The Barnabites, the Clerics Regular of St Paul, added "Maggiore" to distinguish this church from two other San Paolo churches in Bologna. The wooden choir stalls are decorated with engravings, and the bell tower is set into the corner between the nave and the transept on Via Tagliapietre, sharing two walls with the building.

The basilica is easy to reach by public transport in central Bologna and sits in a lively neighborhood with nearby shops and cafes. Visiting during daylight hours is best for appreciating the details of the artwork in natural light.

The bell tower is wedged into the corner between the nave and the transept on Via Tagliapietre, so two of its walls are shared with the church itself. Its belfry holds a ring of five bells in A3 major cast by Cesare Brighenti, fully electrified and no longer set up for manual "doppi" ringing.