A square, where Piazza Duomo in Piacenza stands today, already existed in the 9th century when the bishop’s chair moved inside the walls. It had quite different dimensions and buildings. There was in fact, where the column dedicated to the Virgin Mary stands today, the church of San Giovanni de Domo. The baptismal font is still preserved in the cathedral. When the square was rebuilt, it was moved to today’s cathedral and is now in the north transept, to the left of the altar.
The current layout of the square dates back to the mid 16th century. At that time, Pope Paul III Farnese (pope between 1534 and 1549) had the city modernised in view of the assignment of the dukedoms of Parma and Piacenza to his son Pier Luigi, and the layout of Piazza Duomo was revised.
The north and west arcades appeared in continuity with the façade of the Bishop’s Palace. This was transformed during the 19th century into the form we know today.
With the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, it was decided to erect a monument to the Virgin. It stands in the centre of the square and rests on one of the columns that were to complete the unfinished Palazzo Farnese. At its base in the 1950s, Luciano Ricchetti cast a sculpture emphasising the protection offered by the Virgin, where the bombings of the Second World War struck and killed.
