Santa Maria della Vita

This church was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century by Bergonzoni. The church has a large dome which was built by Tubertini in 1787. This dome can be seen rising above the red roofs of Bologna's houses. It was built by the Compagnia dei Battuti to house the needy and sick. The Baroque interior is very sober. There is a beautiful sculptural group called Christ and the Imploring Marys in the chapel to the right of the altar. The group is made up of seven life size terracotta statues by Niccolò dell'Arca, and dates back to the 15th Century. In the oratory which is annexed to the building and which was designed by Floriano Ambrosini, you can see another fourteen terracotta statues by Alfonso Lombardi (1522).