The construction of Cortemaggiore's main church was commissioned by the Pallavicino marquises, who made the village the capital of their kingdom. The beautiful Gothic building was completed by the 17th century Baroque bell tower, on which eight bells cast in 1964 now stand. The bells escaped requisition during the Second World War because the town was of historical importance, but were unfortunately replaced with these new ones that are very out of tune. The concert plays in C major; it is not usually expected that all the bells ring together, it is a very rare video.

c' d' e' f' g' a' b' c''

We are during Easter time and our historical research has come to this magnificent plain, halfway between Piacenza and the magnificent city of Cremona, which lies across Italy's largest river. The parish priest allowed us to catalogue the bells and ring them all, which never happens as they never ring more than five bells at the same time.

The church is dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie and the martyr saint Lorenzo, built by the marquises in 1481 as the centre of their kingdom. The city has many churches, the most beautiful in the province, starting with this one, one of the largest in Emilia. Construction started in 1481 but was interrupted due to lack of funds. In 1513, it was given the title of collegiate church, because it was important, and the canons of the chapter, who were quite rich, financed the completion of the work. Consecrated by the bishop as early as 1499 and finished in 1569, it contains a very large number of works of art, a sign of the enormous power of the Pallavicino family, who were also friends of the King of France Francis I, who gave a Holy Thorn from the crown of Christ as a gift after killing two of the sovereign's relatives. The first sovereigns rest in a mausoleum designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. The church has been a basilica since 2008 at the behest of Benedict XVI.

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