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Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata

Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata

Highlight • Religious Site

Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata

Recommended by 26 hikers out of 27

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Location: Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

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Best Hikes to Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata

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1. Parma Cathedral and Baptistery – Garibaldi Square loop from Parma

5.64km

01:28

30m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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5.0

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2. Garibaldi Square – Palazzo della Pilotta loop from Cittadella

4.56km

01:11

30m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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4.3

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107

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3. Parma Cathedral and Baptistery – Garibaldi Square loop from Cittadella

8.16km

02:06

30m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

June 13, 2023

The elegant Renaissance building of Santa Maria della Steccata was the first church built in Parma with a central plan. The term Steccata dates back to the 14th century, from the name given to an existing house in the same place where the miraculous image of a Saint John the Baptist was kept, closed by a gate. In 1392, a chapel dedicated to the saint (San Giovanni della Steccata) was built around that image and a fresco depicting the "Virgin Breastfeeding the Child" was added, later detached and now preserved in the church.

In the 15th century, the oratory was donated to the brotherhood dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, which had meanwhile taken the name Beata Vergine della Steccata.

After the oratory was demolished, the new temple was built between 1521 and 1539. The original project was by Gianfranco Zaccagni, then work was continued by Zucchi and later by Gianfranco Ferrari D'Agrate, who made changes to the original project. The passage to Parma by Antonio da Sangallo the younger, who may have suggested to Zucchi the design of the luminous dome and may have made other suggestions for the upper part, dates from that period.

The plan is a Greek cross with arms terminating in semicircular apse. There are an equal number of chapels in the four re-entrant corners. The decoration of the spandrels of the drum and the dome was entrusted in 1560 to Bernardino Gatti who painted the Assumption of Mary in the dome among a large number of saints and patriarchs, as Christ descended to her.

The great arch above the main altar is one of the masterpieces of Francesco Mazzola, known as Parmigianino, who frescoed it between 1533 and 1539. On the right he depicted the "wise virgins" with the lamp on and on the left the "foolish virgins" with the lamp off. In the basin of the apse behind the main altar, the fresco dedicated to the Coronation of the Virgin was executed between 1541/1547 by Michelangelo Anselmi on cartoons by Giulio Romano.

Opening hours: every day from 07:30 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 18:30. Entrance is free.

Leggi di più: visit-parma.com/it/storia-chiesa-di-santa-maria-della-steccata

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Joern

June 8, 2025

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata is a Renaissance church in the center of Parma, Italy. The name derives from the fence (Italian: steccato) within the church. The Virgin Mary is dedicated to the Capuchins and was crowned on May 27, 1601, by a member of the Capuchin Order, Fray Giacomo di Forli. Pope Benedict XVI elevated the Marian shrine to the status of a minor basilica on February 9, 2008.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_of_Santa_Maria_della_Steccata

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Elevation 100 m

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Friday 24 October

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Location: Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

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Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata

1. Parma Cathedral and Baptistery – Garibaldi Square loop from Parma

2. Garibaldi Square – Palazzo della Pilotta loop from Cittadella

3. Parma Cathedral and Baptistery – Garibaldi Square loop from Cittadella

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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