Bologna's Santa Maria della Pietà becomes a 'multi-use' church with contemporary interventions

Santa Maria della Pietà, a historic church in Bologna, has been repurposed as a 'multi-use' space by the Fondazione per le scienze religiose, which now manages the site. The church, originally built in the early 17th century and porticoed in 1691, houses a copy of Guido Reni's Pala dei Mendicanti (the original, looted by Napoleon and returned by Canova, is in the Pinacoteca di Bologna). The foundation aims to open the church for reading, conferences, guided tours, and temporary contemporary art exhibitions, while still allowing occasional Sunday mass. Functional modifications include a glass door to view the Reni copy from the street, and restoration of 17th-century paintings like Mastelletta's Fuga in Egitto is planned. A pacifist-themed installation features peace encyclicals on the ceiling, a photograph of war refugees, and a peace flag surrounded by barbed wire at the entrance; a pre-existing Sacred Heart statue has been dressed in a life jacket. The Comitato per Bologna storica e artistica has criticized stencils of 20th-century figures applied to the facade, calling them 'disfigurement' and demanding their removal. The debate echoes broader discussions on public art and regeneration, with the Soprintendenza yet to weigh in.