basilica di santa maria della steccata(madonna della steccata)

This is a wonderful church to visit after the splendours of the Duomo and the Battistero. The decoration is more subdued with frescos by local Parma artists

Plain on the outside but very ornate altar. Frescoes on the ceiling always lovely but hard to see. Dome and in the various chapels very nice. One looks like white marble.

Nice walk up with a good view. But the church in it self did not impress me much, though I am not into churches to start with.

We sat in this church for perhaps 15 minutes and found it a very relaxing experience, for the colours were soft and easy on the eyes and the murals, although not what I feel were of artistic merit , were quite easy to look at and to endeavour to work out what the story [ if any ] was to their arrangement. Yes , it is not overwhelming and "over the top" and should be visited if in town.

Huge church, the wall paintings are stunning and the statues at the edge of the roofing all around the church is amazing.

I visited the Basilica di Santa Maria della Steccata three times. Upon entering, you will see a very moving marble pieta by an unidentified sculptor. I much admired the frescoes by Parmigianino on the arch above the main altar, the fresco of the Coronation of the Virgin by Michelangelo Anselmi (designed by Giulio Romano) in the eastern apse above the high altar, and the stunning fresco of The Assumption of Mary painted by Bernardino Gatti in the dome. The organ, if you are fortunate enough to hear it, is also magnificent, originally built in 1574 by Benedetto Antegnati and restored to its glory in 1970 by Tamburini. The basilica is in the plan of a Greek cross in the style of Bramante, and is one of the finest examples of Renaissance Art in Parma. The ornaments and the great balustrade that runs around the arms of the cross are the work of Mauro Oddi and dating around the end of the seventeenth century while the interior is due to several masters of the Renaissance Parma. A MUST TO SEE IN PARMA.

The basilica is so plain on the outside but when stepping through the doors your breath is taken away because of the beauty. The fresco's are in the same standard of St Peters in Rome. Photos are welcomed without a fee which is refreshing. Many require fees in order to take a picture. This was one of our favorite sites in Parma.

Lovely basilica. Impressive frescoes. Part of the Parma experience, conveniently located behind the Teatro Reggio.

Definitely a cathedral to see while in Parma. When you enter the church and see the artwork the effect is overwhelming. Too bad it is so dark that it is difficult to see.

Wonderful art and craftsmanship in the carvings, as with all religious buildings I have visited in Greece and Italy fantastic stone work meticulous marble craftsmanship. But a large over the top space for no real purpose, but all ways the wow factor:) each building a credit to its architects and stone masons ,and the people of the city they serve ( but really just a look at us how big we are by the church ?)

The beautiful frescos make this basilica worth a visit (in any case, it's conveniently located right in the town centre), but my advice would be to see this one before the cathedral, as being smaller and less magnificent, it does suffer a little in comparison.

Another delightful church, Santa Maria della Steccata is a 16th-century church and, like the Parma Cathedral, also houses a wonderful decorative fresco in its dome's arch by Francesco Mazzola, better known as Parmigianino. It is said that he took so long to complete his fresco that his patrons briefly imprisoned him for breach of contract.

Church of St. Mary of the SteccataSteccata means fence-the church has this name because there was a painting of St John the Baptist near the church which was consider to have special powers which attracted crowds of people, thus prompting the use of a fence to contain them. In 1392 the lovely picture of Madonna feeding the Child was painted, thus the church was named after this painting. This 16th century Renaissance church has beautiful frescos by Parmigianino throughout the church, including the presbytery’s large arch. My guidebook indicated that Parmigianino took so long to paint the church that he was “briefly imprisoned for breach of contract!” When entering the church, I was definitely pleased that they released Parmigianino, it’s luminescent! A very detailed description of the church is in the book Parma; Guide to the city and the Province, available in several languages at book stores and the small shop across from the Duomo. You will need something to help understand all the beautiful frescoes or just sit back and enjoy the chaos!

Nonostante ci fosse una santa messa al momento dell'entrata siamo rimasti colpiti da una bellissima chiesa ben tenuta e con importanti affreschi del Parmigianino.Merita una visita sicuramente

Chiesa rinascimentale eretta nel 1500, interno veramente maestoso, affrescato da vari esponenti della scola parmense tra cui Bernardino Gatti, Parmigianino, Michelangelo Anselmi e altri. Nella sagrestia bellissimi armadi intagliati, capolavori di ebanisteria. Veramente da non perdere, la visita richiede almeno un'ora.