San Colombano - Tagliavini Collection

San Colombano was purchased by the Cassa di Risparmio di Bologna Foundation in 2005 and inaugurated in 2010.

Today it houses the collection of ancient musical instruments donated by Maestro Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini , organist and musicologist from Bologna, a unique collection in terms of value which includes over ninety instruments, almost all of which are functional, such as clavichords and pianos.

The history of the collection begins in 1969, when Tagliavini purchased a 16th century spinet traced to Bologna and the large three-stop harpsichord built in 1679 by Giovanni Battista Giusti from Lucca, still considered one of the most important pieces in the collection today.

The San Colombano Complex is made up of a series of buildings aggregated over time, starting from the 7th century. The Church, the oldest nucleus, was built by the bishop of Bologna Peter I (around 616 AD) on a previous monumental structure, dating back to between the imperial era and the late ancient age.

In the Oratory above, a jewel of Bolognese art , decorated by the Carracci's best students, you can admire a cycle of frescoes inspired by the Passion of Christ . During the restoration work, a crypt of medieval origin and a thirteenth-century wall painting attributed to Giunta Pisano emerged, depicting Christ on the cross between the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist.