Bishop Ecclesius built the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in 525-532. It was rebuilt in 1671 in Baroque style, with a bell tower circular in style dating to around the 9th and 10th Century. It’s an ancient church with a nave, two aisles and the apse decorated with mosaics. In the left aisle is a painting depicting Saint Paul visiting Saint Agatha in prison by the artist Luca Longhi. The Basilica is sited close to the city’s historic centre in a small square just beyond the apse of San Vitale.
