It is said that St. Alexander, patron saint of Bergamo, was beheaded on the very spot where this imposing pillar stands today.
Recomposed in 1618 from stone fragments dating back to Roman monuments, it also represents the only evidence of the cathedral dedicated to the saint in the 4th century and later demolished.
The church you can see today, and in whose churchyard the column rises, dates back to 1447; it took on its present structure only in the early eighteenth century; the bell tower, on the other hand, was finished in the twentieth century.
Inside you will find a single nave with as many as 4 chapels on each side: if you are not superstitious, you can visit the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin of the Patronage, built on the site of an ancient cemetery.
In addition, numerous works of art housed in the chapels and sacristies await you, including Lorenzo Lotto’s splendid painting ‘Lamentation over the Dead Christ,’ a rare example of tempera on canvas, dated 1520-1521.