Overview

Attributed to Pietro Fiorini, the Church of San Mattia was built starting in 1575 and consecrated in 1588 and belongs to the Dominican Convent. It stands with an essential façade on Via Sant'Isaia, in harmony with its surroundings thanks to the portico in keeping with those of the neighbouring buildings. The dramatic and splendid effect of the interior is the result of a "modernisation" of the decoration and painting carried out around the middle of the 18th century by Pietro Scandellari, Nicola Bertuzzi and Tertulliano Taroni. This period also saw the transformation of the 16th-century serlianas and oculi in the central room into rectangular windows. In 1799, following the suppression of religious orders by the Napoleonic government, the Church of San Mattia was separated from the convent, deconsecrated and turned into a warehouse. The restoration, beginning in 1981 and concluded in 1994 with the financial backing of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, made it possible to bring the surviving stuccoes and frescoes back to light. Entrusted to the Regional Directorate for the Cultural and Landscape Heritage of Emilia Romagna by the Italian State Property Agency, the Church of San Mattia has been converted into an exhibition facility, used to host meetings, conventions and events relating to architecture, town planning, design and the study of the historical-artistic-landscape heritage of the Emilia-Romagna region.