Straddling an ancient Roman cardo in the heart of Verona, the church of Sant'Eufemia was founded by the Della Scala family, who in 1262 brought Augustinian hermit monks to the city so they could live closer to the community.
What to see
Thanks above all to bequests from Alberto della Scala, the church was consecrated in 1331; a permit granted by Mastino II della Scala in 1340 then allowed it to be enlarged with the vast apse that still defines it today. In the 18th century the interior was altered with a vaulted ceiling that hid the old roof trusses, while the monastery, already depopulated by the plague of 1630, was suppressed by Napoleon's troops and turned into a military hospital.
On 25 April 1945, the explosion of the nearby Victory Bridge, blown up by retreating German soldiers, badly damaged the façade; during reconstruction the old 18th-century single-lancet window was replaced by the large rose window still visible today. The interior holds works by painters of the Veronese school such as Giovan Francesco Caroto, Francesco Torbido, Battista del Moro and Paolo Farinati.
Visiting
The church is generally open during hours of worship; for events or exceptional closures it is worth checking with the parish.
Our editors' tip
Look closely at the large rose window on the façade: it isn't a medieval feature but the most visible mark of the postwar reconstruction, a scar left by one of the most dramatic episodes of Verona's liberation in 1945.
