Basilica di San Marino

An ancient parish church once stood here, already mentioned in early medieval documents. By the 19th century it had fallen into ruin and was demolished: the new church, designed by the Bolognese architect Antonio Serra, was begun in 1826 and inaugurated on 5 February 1838. In 1926 the Pope elevated it to a basilica.

You climb a long staircase to the portico with its eight Corinthian columns. On the pediment there's a Latin dedication: the Senate and People to Saint Marinus, patron and founder of freedom. Above the main door is the coat of arms of the Republic; the reliefs of the torch and laurel branches are the work of San Marino stonemasons.

Inside, three aisles with Corinthian columns and a choir surrounded by columns. Here are kept the relics of Saint Marinus, the stonemason from Dalmatia who according to tradition founded the community on Mount Titano. There are six altars, each with its own painting.

Admission is free. Behind the basilica are the Orti dell'Arciprete, where summer dawn concerts are held; to the right, the small church of San Pietro with the stone beds of Saints Marinus and Leo.