Collegiata dei Santi Pietro e Stefano

The Collegiata dei Santi Pietro e Stefano stands in the main piazza of Bellinzona's old town. Begun in 1517, it is the principal church of the city and one of the best examples of Lombard Renaissance architecture in Switzerland. The facade of finely carved stone, with its rounded arch portal and classical pilasters, belongs entirely to the Italian architectural tradition — there is nothing Swiss about it.

Inside, the church is spacious and cool. The side chapels contain good altarpieces and the nave ceiling frescoes repay attention. The overall effect is of a confident and well-funded Renaissance commission from a period when Bellinzona was still closely tied to Milan. It is freely accessible throughout the day.

things to do sight architecture
A story
The facade of the Collegiata was designed by Tommaso Rodari, the same architect who worked on Como Cathedral. The church contains one of the finest sets of 16th-century frescoes in Ticino, including a remarkable fresco cycle by Baldassarre Orelli in the nave. Most visitors to Bellinzona spend all their time at the castles and miss this entirely.