HISTORY
The origin of Santa Maria in Regola is probably from the Latin term “arenula,” which indicates the existence of a church, arena or theater in the Roman period. We also should not exclude the possibility that “regola” refers to the rule of the Benedectine monks who resided there. The first written source that mentions the complex is from September 16, 998, but archaeological research and the presence of particularly old works of art inside the church, confirm the hypothesis that the church was built around the 6th century. In the second half of the 11th century, the Bishop Morando granted a concession to the citizens of rights over goods in transit, and exacting tariffs. The 14th-century reconstruction, of which faint traces remain on the perimeter walls, such as paintings stylistically related to the work of Vitale da Bologna, was completely erased by the reconstruction of 1780-86 by Cosimo Morelli, commissioned by Cardinal Bandi. The present building is a single nave, almost square in plan, covered by a vault decorated by Alessandro Della Nave and Antonio Villa with sloping coffers and at the center a perspectival cupola.
ART-HISTORICAL NOTES
The oldest part of the complex is the circular campanile, cited in a document of March 23, 1080, which referred to the church of Santa Maria in Regola with cloister and a “torre longa.” The brick tower has a polyhedral plan of sixteen sides, which reduces in circumference towards the top, reaching 23 meters in height. Based on the wall structure, it is possible to distinguish two distinct sections: from the base to the height of 13.5 meters, the tower lighter disconnected and reused, while the bricks in the upper section are more uniform. Recent hypotheses suggest that the lower structure utilized Roman bricks. The most believable hypothesis is that there was not a major chronological break, but that the change indicates a technical shift within the same workshop, necessitated by structural concerns and precise functional choices. The dating oscillates between the 10-11th centuries.
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