Church of Saint Bartholomew (Chiesa di San Bartolomeo)

The church of San Bartolomeo, one of the greatest examples of Counter-Reformation architecture and art in Modena, is the heart of the Jesuit settlement in the city. Strongly backed by Duke Cesare d’Este in the early 17th century, it was completed in just a few years, excluding the façade, which was not built until 1727.

The interior, with its expansive, wide-ranging space, features Andrea Pozzo’s magnificent perspective fresco on the vault of the nave; another illusionistic fresco imitates the appearance of a dome, which was never actually built. Interesting canvases adorn the side altars, among them the Death of St Joseph by Boulanger.