Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro

Consecrated in 1132, this church in Lombardy Romanesque style is the successor to an early Christian basilica and was famous in the Middle Ages. The beautiful brick facade** has a sandstone portal* decorated with a bas-relief. Also note the decoration with blind arches and majolica in the upper part.

Inside, walled into the last pillar of the right aisle, is the tomb of the Lombard king Liutprand (744 m), whose bones were found in 1896. The church also houses the relics of St. Augustine, brought here from Sardinia by Liutprand. The saint's relics are kept in the famous Ark of Saint Augustine, whose marble mass is visible on the main altar. The Ark was made by Giovanni di Balduccio between 1362 and 1365 and is decorated with at least 150 statues and bas-reliefs. The church is also mentioned by Dante Alighieri, who in the tenth canto of Paradise, vv.127-129 (in the Divine Comedy), reports these verses: The body from which she was expelled lies / in Ciel d'Auro, and she came from martyrdom / and exile into this peace; it refers to the soul of Severinus Boethius, a Roman advisor to the Ostrogothic king Theodoric, who was executed by him on charges of treason. Boethius' body is also kept in the basilica, right in the crypt.

The raised choir above a crypt houses the tomb of St Augustine** (354-430). This masterpiece of 14th century Lombardy sculpture is adorned with 95 statues and 50 bas-reliefs.
To the right of the main altar, a pillar contains the tombstone of the Lombard king Liutprand.