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Pieve di Cento

Pieve del Cento
Comune
Comune di Pieve di Cento
Porta Ferrara.
Porta Ferrara.
Coat of arms of Pieve del Cento
Coat of arms
Pieve del Cento is located in Italy
Pieve del Cento
Pieve del Cento
Location of Pieve del Cento in Italy
Coordinates: 44°43′N 11°19′E / 44.717°N 11.317°E / 44.717; 11.317
Country Italy
Region Emilia-Romagna
Province / Metropolitan city Bologna (BO)
Government
 • Mayor Sergio Maccagnani
Area
 • Total 15.85 km2 (6.12 sq mi)
Elevation 18 m (59 ft)
Population (31 December 2010)
 • Total 6,959
 • Density 440/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Pievesi
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 40066
Dialing code 051
Patron saint St. Joseph
Saint day 19 March
Website http://www.comune.pievedicento.bo.it

Pieve di Cento (parish of Cento) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Bologna.

Two major earthquakes struck the region of Emilia-Romagna in 2012, killing more than twenty people and leaving thousands homeless. The first tremor struck early in the morning of 20 May; two further serious aftershocks struck several hours later, and again nine days later, causing widespread damage particularly to buildings already weakened by earlier seismic forces.

In Pieve di Cento, the shaking collapsed the cupola of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, showering debris into the nave and threatening 17th-century masterpieces by Guercino, Guido Reni and Lavinia Fontana, and exposing them to the elements.

Cardinal Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture and responsible for conserving the cultural patrimony of the Holy See, visited the area to draw attention to the plight of the survivors and tweeted his prayer message accompanied by a striking photo of the serene intact faces of the Madonnina di Pieve di Cento a weakened plaster-cast effigy of the child Jesus in his mother's arms.


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