san zeno maggiore church

This cathedral is very special. The story of St. Zeno is moving and the doors of bronze are breathtaking!

Beautiful pre-renaissance artwork. Very interesting. Probably my favorite church in Verona. Even the graffiti on the artwork was medieval!

Slightly outside the old town, standing isolated on the Adige bank, it is one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in the world. All panelled in local golden and pink marble, it is a pure shape and a memorable view at sunset.

San Zeno, the "Black Bishop", is the patron saint of Verona. He was the first Christian bishop of the town, and according to recent research, detailed in the church, was indeed a North African with possibly dark skin. His remains are in the large lower church of the huge Romanesque cathedral. There are also the remains of an attached cloister. The church itself is very impressive, with important pieces of art (inc. an altarpiece, painted by A. Mantegna). I was surprised to see that the pattern of horizontal red and white stripes were created by using marble and bricks. The doors with very old bronze plates are marvelous; the "I-was-here" scratchings by past visitors -some as long ago as 1500s - are odd. However much I dislike selfies, they at least do not leave physical traces of one's stupidity.

Bright pleasant church with interesting history and frescos.The lighting on St, Zeno was too bright to take photo eve with a long lens. There is a welcome café on the corner opposite for coffee & cake.

Among all the churches of the city this San Zeno is undoubtedly among the most beautiful, a church built nearly 1000 years ago, only to think of this it's very astonishing. Impossible to miss it.

Get the Verona Card or the 4-church pass and visit this gorgeous basilica dedicated to Verona's patron saint.

What a wonderful church, don't miss it if you come in Verona! Wiligelmo sculptor did an amazing job!

Very lovely church. Absolutely worth the time and has very few tourist visiting it. It's lovely just to sit and study the art works.

This place has a complex history but still attains an architectural and decorative unity. It is slightly out of the centre but the walk along the Adige is pleasant with some great views so worth a detour.

Really lovely and unique church. It looks a bit different than the other churches we visited but it is a must see. We were lucky that there was a wedding on when we were there, it was lovely to see a church being used by the locals

Stunning and well preserved exterior, with sufficient of the interior frescoes remaining both in the main church and the crypt, with different layers restored to provide comparisons of the evolution of veronese painting and a magnificent Mantegna altarpiece. But its the sculptured reliefs of fantasy animals and being, both on the facade and the entrance arches to the crypt, that are the real joy.

What a nice surprise! Even after so many churches in Italy, this one really is impressive! Certainly a place not to miss!

Really nice and unique church. Interior and exterior is a bit different than usual churches you will see so must vista this place. Also do go inside because it is amazing.

You can get a little "churched out" in Italy's magnificent cities but this one is worth doing. It is quite different in design, don't miss the crypt and the spectacular front doors!