The Archiginnasio Palace is one of the most significant buildings in Bologna. Located in the heart of its historic centre, it has hosted the Municipal Library since 1838.
The room, called Theater due to its characteristic amphitheater shape, was designed in 1637 for anatomical lessons by the Bolognese architect Antonio Paolucci known as Levanti, a pupil of the Carraccis.
The Anatomical Theatre, built in wood carved by Antonio Levante in 1637 for the teaching of anatomy, is very well known. Inside there are the famous statues of the Spellati by Ercole Lelli.
It was built of fir wood and decorated with two orders of statues depicting twelve famous doctors at the bottom (Hippocrates, Galen, Fabrizio Bartoletti, Girolamo Sbaraglia, Marcello Malpighi, Carlo Fracassati, Mondino de’Liuzzi, Bartolomeo da Varignana, Pietro d’Argelata , Costanzo Varolio, Giulio Cesare Aranzio, Gaspare Tagliacozzi) and above twenty of the most famous anatomists of the Bolognese studio.
The coffered ceiling, created in 1645 by Antonio Levanti, is decorated with symbolic figures representing fourteen constellations and in the center Apollo, patron deity of medicine.
Two large staircases lead to the upper floor which has school classrooms (now not open to visitors) and two lecture halls, one for the Artists (now the Reading Room) and one for the Lawyers (called the Stabat Mater Room).
The Anatomical Theater can be visited from Monday to Saturday: 10am – 6pm, closed on Sunday
Low cost ticket
Free to: tourist guides with identification card, journalists with identification card, one person for each group of at least 10 people, first and second grade elementary and middle school classes, two companions for each school group, young people up to 18 years old accomplished, disabled people with a companion
ICOM members who present a valid card, subscribe to the Culture Card
Archiginnasio – Anatomical Theatre
Piazza Galvani 1
Bologna
Emilia Romagna – Italy
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