At the beginning of the 1100 there is evidence of an existing Church of S. Paolo – a Benedictine Abbey with the nearby convent. The gardens and cemetery covered the area between via Emilia, via Mazzini, via XX Settembre and Piazza Gramsci. In 1195 the church was re-named Church of Saints Donato and Paolo, and afterwards the remains of S. Donato were brought there.
The decadence of the church started in 1574, as a consequence of a conversion project of this area into a commercial one which brought about the destruction and the re-construction of the church into a much reduced proportion, and the transformation of the nearby area of the convent into shops and markets. The remains of S. Donato were then transferred into the Cathedral.
In 1779 the suppression of the parish permitted the conversion of the church into a private home (Vacchi Suzzi house), and consequently the demolition of the main door and the stairway of the Birri which used to lead to the first floor of the Town Hall.
Vacchi Suzzi House – Before Church of Saints Donato and Paolo
via Emilia corner via Mazzini
Last Updated: 15/03/2021