The Anatomical Theatre of Padua is the oldest permanent anatomical theatre in the world, opened in 1595 inside the Palazzo del Bo, the historic seat of the University of Padua. It is a steep, narrow funnel of carved wooden galleries around a dissecting table, where medical students once stood shoulder to shoulder to watch human bodies being opened, and it became the model for anatomical theatres across Europe.
The Anatomical Theatre at a glance
- Where: inside Palazzo del Bo, the main building of the University of Padua, on Via VIII Febbraio in the city centre.
- Built: 1594–1595, on the initiative of the anatomist Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente.
- What it is today: a preserved historic room, no longer used for teaching, shown on guided tours of Palazzo del Bo.
- Used for: anatomy lessons until 1872, when the medical school moved to another building.
- Time needed: the guided tour of Palazzo del Bo, which includes the theatre, takes around 45 minutes to an hour.
Where modern anatomy was taught
Padua's university, founded in 1222, became one of the great centres of medicine in Renaissance Europe. In the 1530s and 1540s the Flemish anatomist Andreas Vesalius taught here and insisted that students learn by looking at the body itself rather than only reading ancient texts. Dissections were held in temporary wooden structures that were put up for the anatomy season and taken down again. In 1594 Girolamo Fabrici d'Acquapendente, who held the chair of surgery and anatomy for decades, had a permanent theatre built inside the Bo, and it was completed in 1595.
The design is shaped like an upside-down cone set inside a rectangular room: tiers of galleries with carved walnut railings rise steeply around the dissecting table, so that as many students as possible could see from close up. There were no seats; spectators stood on the narrow tiers. The bodies were those of executed criminals, and lessons were held in winter, when the cold slowed decay. The room was originally lit by candles, and windows and a skylight were only added in the 19th century. In 1872 the medical school moved elsewhere and the theatre fell silent, but it was kept intact.
What to look for
- The funnel of galleries rising almost vertically above you; visitors usually view the theatre from the bottom, where the dissecting table stood.
- The carved walnut balustrades on every tier, worn smooth by centuries of hands.
- How little space there is: each tier leaves only a strip about 40 centimetres deep for standing spectators.
- The Latin motto associated with the theatre, Mors ubi gaudet succurrere vitae, here death rejoices in helping life.
- Elsewhere in Palazzo del Bo, the lectern from which Galileo is said to have taught, and the statue of Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, the first woman in the world to earn a university degree, in 1678.
Padua's famous students
The theatre was part of a remarkable century for science in Padua. Galileo Galilei taught mathematics here from 1592 to 1610, and the young English doctor William Harvey studied under Fabrici before going on to describe the circulation of the blood. Fabrici's own work on the valves of the veins was carried out in the same years the theatre was in use. Anatomical theatres in Leiden, Uppsala, Bologna and many other cities followed Padua's model, which is why the room is often called the place where modern medicine was taught.
Tips for your visit
- The theatre can only be seen on a guided tour of Palazzo del Bo; book ahead, especially in spring and at weekends.
- Look up rather than around: the view from the bottom of the funnel is what makes the room unforgettable.
- Photography rules can change; ask your guide before taking pictures inside.
- Combine the visit with a coffee at Caffè Pedrocchi opposite and a walk through the market squares around Palazzo della Ragione.
Nearby
- Caffè Pedrocchi: the 19th-century café across the street from the Bo, once open day and night and a meeting place for students and patriots.
- Palazzo della Ragione: the medieval law court with a vast hall upstairs, between the market squares Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta, a few minutes' walk.
- Scrovegni Chapel: Giotto's fresco cycle from the early 14th century, a short walk north; entry is by timed booking.
- Basilica of Sant'Antonio: the great pilgrimage church of Saint Anthony, a walk of around a quarter of an hour to the south.
See Padua with World City Trail
Our Padua scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 42 minutes of walking. It includes the Scrovegni Chapel and Piazza Garibaldi, and at each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a story about the city.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour of Padua and an outdoor escape game.
Play the Padua scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Padua →
Play the outdoor escape game in Padua →
Facts checked in October 2026.