Teatro Anatomico, Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio, University Bologna
The Anatomical Theater, known as Teatro Anatomico, is just a short walk from Piazza Maggiore, the central square in Bologna. This historic site, nestled within the Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio, is a stone's throw from the location of Europe's oldest university, established in Bologna in the 11th century. Since 1563, the Palace of the Archigymnasium has been the central hub for the "Schools" of the Alma Mater Studiorum, featuring a courtyard encircled by double-story peristyles, characteristic of Italian universities of the period, such as the Sapienza in Rome or Palazzo Bo in Padua.
Currently, the Medical and Surgical Society and the Academy of Agriculture of Bologna take up the ground floor, while the Municipal Library—home to a unique collection of antique manuscripts and incunabula—resides on the first floor alongside the magnificent Teatro Anatomico and Stabat Mater Hall.
Constructed in 1637, the Teatro Anatomico boasts a centrally placed, ornately designed marble table, flanked by wooden railings where dissections were historically carried out. The professor's chair, with its canopy upheld by two "Spellati" statues — carved, skinless figures — stands out prominently. Overhead, the allegorical figure of Anatomy is depicted receiving two gifts, a manuscript scroll and a femoral bone, from an angel. The Anatomical Theater in Bologna stands out as not only a site of significant historical value but also as one of the most visually stunning of its kind.
Standing in the middle of the room, a white Carrara marble table was dedicated for performing public dissections. A showcase in front of the main Chair displays a Latin edition of Galen's works, underscoring his profound impact on medieval and Renaissance medicine. A statue of Galen clutching a book is also present, along with the hall's adornment of carved wood panels and statues of notable physicians such as Hippocrates, Galen, Malpighi. One of those figures, Gaspare Tagliacozzi, celebrated as a pioneer of reconstructive and plastic surgery, notably the "Italian method" of rhinoplasty, is represented holding a nose.
The wooden coffered ceiling crafted in 1645 by Antonio Levanti is embellished with the figure of Apollo, the patron deity of medicine, at the center encircled by artistically carved zodiacal symbols, fourteen constellations. The selection of an astrological theme harks back to the tradition of consulting the stars before undertaking surgical procedures or prescribing medications, aligning with the concept of medicine being influenced by science—a notion widespread across Europe thanks to the Arabs since the conquest of Spain. Astrology was intertwined with medicine, with each body part believed to be protected by a zodiac sign. Astrology remained a subject of study at the University of Bologna until the end of the 17th century.
Each wing concludes with two large halls; one has been transformed into the library's reading room, while the other serves as a congress space, The Great Auditorium, known as the Stabat Mater. It was historically reserved for law students, named Sala dello Stabat Mater to commemorate the premiere of Rossini's Stabat Mater, conducted by Gaetano Donizetti on March 18, 1842.
