Chiesa di San Pietro

The church was built to replace a previous ecclesiastical building, whose origins can be traced back to the 12th century. The bell tower dates to 1487 and features an elongated, tiled cusp. The area inside the church is divided into three naves and two lateral chapels. The presbytery holds a 18th century marble altar decorated with two statues, which represent Saint Peter and Saint Paul - to whom the church is dedicated - and were sculpted by the artist Giovanni Battista Fattori of Trento. The altarpiece of the Maddalena is by Martino Teofilo Polacco.
The Chapel of Simon of Trent, with its octagonal plan, dates back to the 1480s. It was built by Prince Bishop Johannes Hinderbach and refurbished during the second half of the 17th century as a donation by General Mattia Galasso, who is buried in the vestibule. The cupola is decorated with golden stuccos framing eight canvasses painted by Pietro Ricchi in 1669, which illustrate the Histories of Simon of Trent.
The opening procession of the third phase of the Council set off from this church on 18 January 1562.

Simonino’s Chapel

Simonino’s Chapel has an octagonal plan and overlooks the northern side of the presbytery; it was built there because at the time of the finding of Simonino’s dead body, the Church of San Pietro was under construction.

This chapel had for a long time a lot of visitors: the child’s dead body was laid down in a crystal urn and on the third Sunday of Easter time the traditional procession throughout the city started from there. In 1479 a silver statue depicting a triumphant Simonino enriched the Chapel, it was donated by Giacomo Conci as an ex-voto for the miraculous recovery of his dying son. Unluckily the statue was lost. The current appearance of the chapel is the result of the generous donations of the citizens of Trento, of pilgrims and also of Mattia Galasso, general of the emperor Ferdinand III and great leader, buried here in 1647.

The chapel’s dome is lavishly decorated with golden stuccos and with some sculptures of angels holding the instruments of Simonino’s alleged martyrdom. Moreover, eight valuable paintings, painted by Pietro Ricchi known as “il Lucchese” in 1669, illustrate the Stories of Simonino, including the scene of a banquet where some Jewish women hold the child. In 1965, when the worship of the blessed Simonino was abolished, his dead body was taken to a secret place in order to interrupt the veneration.

The Chapel is open to visitors only on special occasions.