Date

Circa 1910

This pilgrimage church, in which the relics of the Early Christian Bishop Zeno (died 380) are venerated, is one of the most unified of Romanesque ensembles, despite being rebuilt and modified throughout the 12th century. It is set at the northern edge of the town, adjacent to an old cemetery that included the legendary tomb of Pippin, King of the Lombards. The façade of the basilica is rich in stone and bronze sculpture, and the interior, with its trifoliate, late 14th-century ceiling, bears many carved capitals. The hall crypt under the raised choir is entered through a series of decorated arches, carved by Adamino di San Giorgio ca. 1225. The lower level of the façade was decorated by the sculptors Nicholaus and Guglielmus. S Zeno also houses Mantegna' altarpiece of the Virgin and Child with Saints (known as the the S Zeno Altarpiece, 1456-1459).