Chiesa di San Pietro
Modena, IT
According to tradition, the church of San Pietro stands on the site where the Athenian Dionysius the Areopagite and the bishop Eutropius proselytised as early as 93 AD, gathering the first Christian community in Modena and dedicating a temple to St Peter. In 996, Bishop Giovanni founded a Benedictine monastery next to the church. Only in the 15th century, after a period of decline of the monastery, did the monks start to rebuild the church, which was in a very poor state of stability. The new church was completed in its main parts in 1506 and consecrated in 1518. During the Napoleonic era, the monastery was abolished and part of the building was used as cavalry barracks. However, the church remained open for worship and in 1876 a massive restoration campaign was launched. In 1911, the monastic community was re-established.