Basilica di San Zeno in Verona

The most important church in Verona is the Basilica di San Zeno. It was built in the Romantic style, but also has the first Gothic architectural elements. The church was built in the 12th and 13th centuries.

A church was already built on this site in the 4th century. After its destruction, reconstruction began towards the end of the 11th century. The earthquake of 1117 only brought construction work to a brief halt, and by 1135 the building was almost complete in its present form. The façade and the portal were added later.

On the left side is a defence tower, which is a remnant of the Benedictine abbey.

The church building is very impressive from the outside.
I was particularly impressed by the huge bronze doors on which scenes of the Crucifixion and the Passion can be seen.

The entrance portal is beautiful. Besides a great relief high up under the pediment, the columns support two lions that are supposed to keep evil away from the church.

I was impressed by the façade. Until now, I had not seen any churches with this look.

Attention! To visit the Basilica de San Zeno, you must observe a dress code: Covered knees and no bare shoulders!

We did not visit the interior, nor were we properly dressed!
Nevertheless, I did some research to find out what to expect in the interior:
The Basilica di San Zeno has a three-nave space without a transept. The choir and the cloister do not match the façade, they were built later. The triptych of the altar, which was created by Andrea Mantegna, is particularly worth seeing.