Church of Santa Maria e San Valentino della Grada: tickets, opening hours and tips

The Church of Santa Maria e San Valentino della Grada is famous above all because it preserves the remains of the priest and martyr San Valentino. Its name derives from the grada (a metal grille), still visible, through which the Reno Canal entered the walls of the city and that was mainly used to prevent possible enemies to enter the city. The church was built by enlarging an oratory which had been built by the Confraternita di Sant'Antonio da Padova at the beginning of the 17th century in order to worship the image of the Virgin Mary, already kept in this area since 1576.
Inside the church several paintings by A. Catalani, P. Fancelli, G. Caponeri may be seen.