Santo Stefano Collegiate Church

In the heart of Novellara, the Collegiate Church of Santo Stefano stands majestically, a testament to the town’s devotion and history.
Construction began in 1512, but it was thanks to Alfonso I Gonzaga, on the occasion of his marriage to Vittoria di Capua, that the church was completed in the 16th century, with the tower finished around 1616.

The 16th-century façade, modified around 1750 with the addition of the serliana and four niches, houses statues dating from 1858, whilst the interior retains much of its original Latin cross plan: a single nave flanked by four chapels on each side.
The barrel vault, the compact transept, the hemispherical dome and the semicircular apse lend harmony and lightness to the sacred space.

Among the works of greatest artistic interest are the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, decorated by Giuseppe Mazza in 1690, and the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, featuring a curious internal sundial.

The chapels of the transept house 18th-century decorations dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel and to the Crucified Christ, whilst tombstones and portraits of the Gonzagas in the chancel recall the noble families’ involvement in the church’s history.
Visitors can admire masterpieces such as Pietro Maria Bagnatore’s Ascension of Christ, Mario Lodi’s Saint Michael the Archangel and the Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, works by pupils of Lelio Orsi, whose tombstone is located on a pillar in the transept.
The baptistery, donated in 1752 by Donna Ricciarda, sister of the last Count of Novellara, completes the Collegiate Church’s rich artistic heritage.