Basilica of Saint Pietro in Ciel d’Oro

San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro, literally Saint Peter in a golden heaven, is one of the most ancient churches in Pavia, dating from the reign of the Goths. The basilica attained its utmost splendour under the reign of the Longobard king Liutprand, when it received the relics of Saint Augustine of Hippo, purchased by the Saracens in Sardinia. At the time of Liutprand they were preserved in a silver chest and placed under the Arca, a marble masterpiece sculpted in 1362 with scenes from the saint’s life. Today the building wears a Romanesque guise. The façade with its pitched roof in sandstone and tile dates from this period (eleventh-twelfth century), while there is no trace of the golden ceiling in the original structure that gave the church its name.