Santi Girolamo and Vitale Church

The Church of Saints Jerome and Vitale is one of the most original and striking religious buildings in Reggio Emilia.
Built in the Baroque style in the 17th century, it houses four sacred buildings that are perfectly integrated with one another, connected by an intricate system of staircases, corridors and chapels that make a visit a unique experience.

The building stands on the foundations of the ancient Church of San Vitale, which already existed in the early centuries of Christianity in Reggio Emilia (post 313 AD).
In 1443, when the Confraternity of San Girolamo was seeking a permanent home, the Church of San Vitale was by then in ruins.
On 6 November of that year, the brothers purchased the adjacent chapel and garden, situated near the city walls, from the nuns of San Raffaele.
Two years later, the Bishop of Reggio consecrated the new building, dedicating it to Saints Jerome and Vitale the Martyr.

In 1600, a member of the brotherhood, Ippolito Pratonieri, returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, brought with him the design and exact measurements of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Moved by deep devotion, he decided to reproduce it inside the church.
On 28 April 1646, the foundation stone of the present-day building was consecrated; it was designed by Gaspare Vigarani, a renowned architect and set designer who also worked at the court of Louis XIV.
Vigarani conceived a structure of extraordinary architectural complexity, combining symbolism with Baroque theatricality.

The architectural complex consists of four sacred spaces, linked by staircases and internal passageways:

• Atrium – Three staircases lead off from here, including the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs) with twenty-eight steps, which are ascended on one’s knees during the Good Friday ritual.
• Oratory of San Vitale (of the Confraternity) – This is where the Confraternity’s services were held.
• Rotunda – Circular in plan, with a central altar and an elegant women’s gallery in the upper part. The eight niches along the walls house statues of saints.
• Crypt – It comprises two chapels and a faithful reconstruction of the Holy Sepulchre, built according to the measurements brought back by Pratonieri on his return from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

A “Sacred Mount” in the heart of Reggio Emilia

Scholars have described the complex as “almost a Sacred Mount” due to its exceptional symbolic and spiritual richness.
All the spaces are inspired by the theme of the Passion of Christ, with a devotional itinerary that leads visitors from the sacrifice to the Resurrection.
Among the most precious relics preserved here are:

• the Holy Stairs, a replica of those in Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem;
• the reconstruction of Christ’s Tomb;
• the relics of eight martyrs;
• and, in the upper church, the Rotunda, which represents the triumph of the Resurrection, an absolute masterpiece of Emilian Baroque.

The Confraternity of St Jerome, which still acts as custodian of the building, has enriched the religious itinerary with new and evocative installations:

• a life-size (8-metre) reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, created by Giuliano Melioli in cocciopesto;
• a small Garden of Olives in front of the church;
• a life-size copy of the Holy Shroud.

Thanks to these additions, the church is now a true Sanctuary of the Passion, a place of contemplation and meditation that invites visitors to rediscover the values of the sacred and the living presence of faith.

Excerpt from an article by Zeno Davoli in La Libertà

Interesting fact

Every year, on 14 September at 8 o’clock, a ray of light enters the building and illuminates a terracotta panel depicting Christ on the Cross with the mourners: this is the day on which the Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
At the same moment, the light also strikes the statue of Saint Thaddeus, situated above the central altar, creating a striking symbolic effect of rebirth and redemption.

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