Tag: church in Venice

The Church of San Lorenzo is a church in Venice, located in the Castello district (sestiere), overlooking Campo San Lorenzo. Together with the Chapel of San Sebastiano, the church was part of the Benedictine monastery of the same name.   SHORT HISTORY The church was built starting with 809, at the behest of Doge Agnello Partecipazio. In 1007, the Chapel of San Sebastiano was built next to San Lorenzo by the future Doge Ottone Orseolo. The church and the chapel were badly damaged in the disastrous fire of 1105. In 1592, the rebuilding of the Church of San Lorenzo began, on a project by Simone Sorella. The church was completed in 1602 and rededicated in 1617. The facade remained unfinished. The Chapel of San Sebastiano was also rebuilt between 1629 and 1632, with other interventions in 1748. On April 25, 1810, after the suppression of all religious orders, the nuns left the monastery, all the assets passed into the hands of the state, and the religious complex was closed. In 1821, the church passed under municipal administration, and in 1853 it was restored. In 1875, San Lorenzo was transformed into a hospital, in 1946 it became an infirmary for the Read more [...]

Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Basilica of Saints John and Paul), known in the Venetian dialect as San Zanipolo, is the largest church in Venice. The church is located in the homonymous square (Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo), in the Castello district (sestiere).   SHORT HISTORY OF BASILICA DEI SANTI GIOVANNI E PAOLO According to legend, the origins of the basilica are connected to a vision of doge Jacopo Tiepolo, who, in 1234, donated a piece of land to the Dominican friars, on which the structure was later built. The church was immediately erected, and dedicated to the Roman martyrs of the fourth century, John and Paul. The Basilica was enlarged in the 14th century by two Dominican friars, Benvenuto of Bologna and Nicolò of Imola. The structure was completed in 1368, but it was solemnly cosecrated only on November 14, 1430. In 1807, during the Napoleonic era, the Dominicans were removed from their convent, which was transformed into a hospital, and the church was deprived of numerous works of art.   ARCHITECTURE OF THE BASILICA OF SAN ZANIPOLO The church has a salient facade in Gothic style, characterised by a large central rose window and two smaller lateral Read more [...]

The Church of Santa Maria Formosa, formally known as the Church of the Purification of Mary, is a church in Venice, located in the sestiere of Castello, in Campo Santa Maria Formosa.   SHORT HISTORY According to legend, a first structure on this site was built in 639 by San Magno of Oderzo, to whom the Virgin appeared, asking him to build a church dedicated to her. However, the oldest written documentation about the church dates back to 1060. The ancient church was renovated in 864 and, after it was damaged by a fire, again in 1106. After a long period of neglect, in 1492, the church was rebuilt in Renaissance style by Mauro Codussi. The architect died in 1504, without finishing his work. Later, starting with 1542, the Cappello family financed the construction of both facades. The first, overlooking Rio del Mondo Novo, is in Classical style, while the second, facing the square, is in Baroque style. During the 17th century, following the damage caused by an earthquake, the Piedmontese merchant Turin Tonon financed a restoration of the church. In addition to the reinforcement of the facades, the restoration included works on the dome and the decoration of the Read more [...]

The Church of San Simeone Profeta is a church in Venice, located in the sestiere (district) of Santa Croce. The church is also known as San Simeone Grande (large), to distinguish it from the nearby Church of San Simeone Piccolo (small), which before the 18th-century reconstruction was smaller.   SHORT HISTORY The church was built in 967 at the behest of the Ghisi, Adoldi and Briosi families. Originally, it must have been a very modest structure, built of straw and wood. After a disastrous fire, it was rebuilt in stone in 1150, and made the parish church. Between 1807 and 1810, under the Napoleonic rule, the church joined the parish of the nearby San Simeon Piccolo.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE It is believed that the facade of the church was designed in Neoclassical style by the Venetian architect Giorgio Massari in 1756. The facade is simple, with two columns in Composite order dividing the central part of the structure from the two short lateral bodies, surmounted by two volutes that accompany the slope of the roof. At the center of the facade, the portal opens between two pillars, with two large windows above and a dedication plaque between them. At Read more [...]

The Church of San Zaccaria is a beautiful church in Venice, located in the sestiere (district) of Castello, in Campo San Zaccaria, not far from the St. Mark’s Square. The church is dedicated to Saint Zechariah, father of Saint John the Baptist.   SHORT HISTORY A first church was built on this site in 827 by Doge Giustiniano Partecipazio to accommodate the remains of San Zaccaria, who were donated by the Byzantine Emperor Leo V the Armenian to the city of Venice. An adjacent convent was built around the same time. In 1105, a terrible fire destroyed the ancient church and the convent, and it is said that more than a hundred nuns, who took refuge in the basement, died asphyxiated. The current church was started in 1444 by the architect Antonio Gambello, and completed after his death, in 1504, by the architect Mauro Codussi. The church was consecrated in 1543.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The superb facade of the church, in Istrian stone, is divided in five orders. The lower two orders, work of Gambello, are in late-Gothic style, and the upper orders, by Codussi, in Renaissance style. The facade, with many mullioned windows, is dominated by a large Read more [...]

The Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli is a beautiful church in Venice, located in the sestiere of Cannaregio.   SHORT HISTORY The church was built between 1481 and 1489, at the behest of the Lombard merchant Angelo Amadi, who desired a proper shrine for a painting depicting the Virgin, inherited from his uncle, Francesco Amadi. The painting, dating back to the beginning of the 15th century, was considered miraculous by the inhabitants of the area. The project was entrusted to the architect Pietro Lombardo who, with the help of his sons, Tullio and Antonio, designed and built this small church. One of the first Renaissance-style churches built in Venice, it was renovated during the 16th century, without changing its external appearance. In 1997, the church was the subject of a careful restoration, which allowed the locals and tourists alike to fully enjoy its artistic beauty.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The facade, divided into five sectors by pillars, has two orders. The lower order, with pillars with Corinthian capitals, is architraved, while the upper one, with pillars in Ionic style, is composed of 5 blind arches. Above the facade, there is a large semicircular pediment, decorated with a rose window, Read more [...]

The Church of San Simeone Piccolo, also known as Santi Simeone e Giuda (Saints Simon and Judas), is a church in Venice, overlooking the Grand Canal, located in the sestiere of Santa Croce, in front of the Santa Lucia railway station.   SHORT HISTORY The original church was founded in the 9th century by the noble families of Adoldi and Briosi, and was consecrated on June 21, 1271. The ancient church probably had a basilica plan with three naves and was built parallel to the Grand Canal. In 1718, the rebuilding of the church began under the direction of the architect Giovanni Antonio Scalfarotto. The works were completed 20 years later, and the religious building was consecrated on April 27, 1738, being one of the last churches built in Venice. Today, the Church of San Simeone Piccolo is the only church in Venice where the Mass is celebrated in Latin.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The church is modeled on the Pantheon of Rome, with a cylindrical body, a copper-clad dome and a Corinthian pronaos. The pronaos set against a circular plan is a solution already adopted in the twin churches of Piazza del Popolo in Rome. It is surmounted by Read more [...]

The Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is one of the largest churches in Venice, and one of Italy’s most important Franciscan sites. The church, commonly known as the Frari, is located in the homonymous Campo dei Frari, in the sestiere of San Polo.   SHORT HISTORY The first church built on this site dates back to the first half of the 13th century, when the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor received a piece of land in the area. Soon, the church proved too small and, in 1250, the papal legate, the cardinal Ottaviano Ubaldini, laid the first stone of a new larger church. Around the year 1330, the architect Jacopo Celega began working on a third church, which was completed in 1396 by his son, Pier Paolo. The bell tower of the church was built in 1936, the Chapel of San Marco was added in 1420, the Chapel of San Pietro in 1434, and the facade was finished in 1440. The church was consecrated in 1492, and the portal, surmounted by three statues, work of Lorenzo Bregno, was built in 1516. In the 19th century, the Franciscans were banished from the church, and they returned only in 1922. Read more [...]

The Church of the Abbey of Misericordia (Chiesa dell’Abbazia della Misericordia) is a church located in Venice, in the sestiere of Cannaregio, overlooking the small square with the same name.   SHORT HISTORY A first church was built on this place in 936. In the 13th century, the church was completely rebuilt, abandoning the Byzantine structure and acquiring a Gothic style. Starting with that moment, the building was linked to the history of the Moro family, who became protectors of the church. At first, the church was named Santa Maria di Val Verde and its history was connected to the nearby Scuola Grande of Santa Maria della Misericordia, which was built at the beginning of the 14th century. In 1659, the facade of the church was rebuilt, as it appears on a plate on the right, at the expense of the patrician and philosopher Gasparo Moro. In 1806, after the suppression of the Scuola della Misericordia, the church was turned into a military warehouse. Rescued from the demolition, it was renovated by the abbot Pietro Pianton between 1825 and 1864. After his death, everything was sold and the church was closed. In 1891, the church was assigned by the patriarch Read more [...]

The Church of the Madonna dell’Orto is a beautiful Gothic church in Venice, located in the sestiere (district) of Cannaregio, in the homonymous campo (square).   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF THE MADONNA DELL’ORTO The church was built by the religious congregation of Humiliati around the middle of the 14th century, and dedicated to God, to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers. Because of its weak foundations, the church underwent important restoration works in 1399. In 1414, the Council of Ten, one of the highest governing bodies of the Republic of Venice, granted the church the name of Madonna dell’Orto, which was already popular among the locals. The name came from a miraculous statue of the Madonna, brought to the church from a nearby garden (orto meaning garden in Italian). In 1462, the Humiliati were expelled by a decree of the same council, and the church was assigned to the congregation of the Canons Regular of San Giorgio in Alga, which was suppressed in 1668. The convent of the Madonna dell’Orto passed in 1669 to the Congregation of the Cistercian Monks, and in 1787 came under public administration. In 1841, the Austrian Read more [...]

The Church of San Michele in Isola is a beautiful church dedicated to Saint Michael, located in Venice, on the island of San Michele, near the cemetery with the same name.   SHORT HISTORY A first church was built on this place in 1221, but was destroyed by a fire in 1453. The current church dates back to the second half of the 15th century. More precisely, the church was built between 1468 and 1479 by the great architect Mauro Codussi, the same architect of the Church of San Zaccaria, the Vendramin Calergi Palace and the Clock Tower from the San Marco Square. In 1530, the architect Guglielmo Bergamasco built a hexagonal chapel to the left of the church, known as Cappella Emiliani. In 1560, the famous sculptor and architect Jacopo Sansovino renovated the church and the chapel.   ARCHITECTURE The church has a tripartite facade divided by Ionic pilasters, with two superimposed levels. The lower one is characterized by a smooth ashlar, with a central portal with a triangular tympanum and two high arched windows in correspondence of the aisles. The upper level, included between the Ionic pilasters, has a large oculus, around which are arranged four polychrome marble Read more [...]

Founded in the 9th century, the Church of San Giacomo dall’Orio is one of the oldest churches in Venice. The church, located in the Santa Croce district, in the Campo San Giacomo dall’Orio, is part of the same parish with the Church of San Stae and the Church of San Zan Degolà.   SHORT HISTORY The church was erected in the 9th century and rebuilt in Byzantine style in 1225 by the noble families Badoer and Da Mula. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the church was remodeled in Gothic style. From this church, the pilgrimages to Santiago di Compostela began, as evidenced by the image of a man carrying a shell placed on the bell tower. The tower dates back to 1225.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The interior is characterized by the coexistence of various architectural styles: the bell tower and the basilica plan with three naves belong to the Byzantine style, while the roof is Gothic and the decorations of the main altar and the central nave are Lombard. On the counter-facade, we can find the organ and, underneath, three 16th-century paintings attributable to Andrea Schiavone: Appeal of the Apostles, Dispute of Jesus with the doctors of the Read more [...]

The Church of Sant’Alvise is a Gothic church in Venice, located in the Cannaregio district, overlooking the homonymous square. The church is dedicated to Saint Louis of Toulouse, a Neapolitan prince from the House of Anjou canonized in 1317, known in Venice as Sant’Alvise.   SHORT HISTORY The church of Sant’Alvise was built in 1383, together with the nearby convent, by the noblewoman Antonia Venier, after the saint appeared to her in a dream. Later, Antonia Venier retired in the monastery, following the Augustinian rule. At the beginning of the 16th century, other Augustinian nuns were welcomed here, after they escaped from the territories affected by the War of the League of Cambrai. The church underwent a major reconstruction in the 17th century, which largely changed the interior.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The church is built in Gothic style, having a basilica plan. The facade, very simple, is delimited by six protruding pilasters, connected by ogival arches. The portal in Istrian stone is enriched by a statue of Sant’Alvise in marble, attributed to Bartolomeo Bon. The bell tower retained its original Gothic appearance of the 14th century. It was built in terracotta, with a pinecone cusp and spiers at the Read more [...]

The Church of Santa Maria di Nazareth, known locally as Chiesa degli Scalzi, is a wonderful church in Venice, overlooking the Grand Canal, located near the Santa Lucia railway station and the beautiful Ponte degli Scalzi. The church is the seat of the religious Order of the Discalced Carmelites (or the Barefoot Carmelites, scalzi meaning barefoot in Italian).   SHORT HISTORY After the Discalced Carmelites settled in Venice in 1633, they asked the architect Baldassare Longhena to build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The construction of the edifice began in 1656, funded by the Venetian diplomat Girolamo Cavazza, and was completed in 1689 by Giuseppe Pozzo, seven years after Longhena’s death. The church was consecrated in 1705 and the Order of the Discalced Carmelites used it together with the adjacent convent until the beginning of the 19th century. In 1810, they left the church, returning 30 years later, in 1840. The church of Santa Maria di Nazareth was restored between 1853 and 1862, while only a few years later, with the appearance of the Santa Lucia railway station, the convent was demolished.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The facade of the church was built in Baroque style between 1672 Read more [...]

The Church of San Giovanni Battista Decollato (Saint John the Baptist Beheaded), abbreviated in the Venetian dialect as San Zan Degolà, is a church located in the sestiere (district) of Santa Croce, in Venice.   SHORT HISTORY The church was probably founded in the 8th century, but the first documented information about the structure dates back to the beginning of the 11th century, when the church was rebuilt by the Venier family, residing in a palace nearby. In 1213, the church was renovated at the expense of the Pesaro family, and again in 1703, when the current facade and the bell tower were built. In 1807, the Napoleonic decrees suppressed the parish and led to the deconsecration of the church, which was transformed into a warehouse. In 1818, the church was reopened and assigned to the parish of San Giacomo dall’Orio, to which it still belongs as a vicarial church. Today, the church is the seat of the Russian Orthodox Christian community and the liturgies are held regularly every week.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The church is one of the rare examples of Venetian-Byzantine architecture that remained fairly intact in its original conception up to the present day. Only the Read more [...]

The Church of San Giovanni in Bragora is a church in Venice, located in Campo Bandiera e Moro, in the Castello district (sestiere).   SHORT HISTORY Although the first document mentioning the church dates back to 1090, it seems that the structure was built earlier, in 829. The church was rebuilt in the 10th century, under Doge Pietro III Candiano, to house some presumed relics of Saint John the Baptist, to which is dedicated, and again in 1178. In 1464, when Pietro Barbo became Pope Paul II, the church was restructured according to a late Gothic style by the architect Sebastiano Mariani, taking its current form. The works lasted thirty years, from 1475 to 1505, at the end of which it was reconsecrated, as it is shown on the facade, on the lintel above the entrance, under the lunette. In 1481, the chapel dedicated to Saint John the Merciful was built, which houses the precious relics of the saint since 1249. Over time, the bell tower of the church collapsed several times. The first structure, from the 9th century, underwent a major renovation between 1475 and 1498, only to be demolished in 1567 due to its precarious condition. Rebuilt in Read more [...]

The Church of San Marcuola is a church dedicated to Saints Hermagoras and Fortunatus, located in the sestiere of Cannaregio, in Venice. The church is situated across the Grand Canal from the Fondaco dei Turchi. The name Marcuola comes from the Venetian pronunciation for Hermagoras.   SHORT HISTORY The current church was built in the 12th century on the site of an ancient church from the 9th century, thanks to the contributions of the Memmo family, owners of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. In 1663, minor changes were made to the structure. Later, the architect Antonio Gaspari presented a new renovation project, but the works were started only after his death, under the direction of the architect Giorgio Massari. In 1736, Giorgio Massari managed to complete the interior of the church, but the facade remained unfinished. In 1779, the church was consecrated for the last time by the Patriarch Federico Maria Giovanelli.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The church has a single nave with a square plan, covered by a barrel vault. The presbytery was created from a semicircular apse, and is practically the vestibule of the beautiful rectangular main chapel, surmounted by an oval dome, supported by four columns. Read more [...]

The Church of Spirito Santo (Church of the Holy Spirit) is a church located on the Zattere promenade, in the sestiere of Dorsoduro, in Venice.   SHORT HISTORY In 1483, the monastery of the Augustinian nuns of the Holy Spirit was founded on this place, with a church enclosed within its walls. From the beginning, the monastery distinguished itself by scandals caused by the nuns, documented by the archives of the time. In the first decades of the 16th century, when the foundations of the Zattere were settled on the Giudecca Canal, the monastery was restructured in a radical way. The old church was demolished to make room for the cloister and, in 1506, the construction of the current church began, with the facade oriented towards the Giudecca Canal. At the same time, near the church, separated from it by the Calle Larga della Chiesa, the building of the School of the Holy Spirit was also started.   ARCHITECTURE The facade of the church has a poorly proportioned structure: the portal and the two side windows on the ground floor apparently denote an initial project focused more on the width of the building than on its height, while the second Read more [...]

The Church of Santa Fosca is a church dedicated to Saint Fusca of Ravenna, located on the island of Torcello, in the Venetian Lagoon, part of the complex of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. Saint Fusca of Ravenna was a child martyr killed along her nurse, Maura, around 250 AD, in Ravenna, under the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Decius.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA FOSCA It seems that a church dedicated to Santa Fosca existed on this site since the first half of the 9th century. Around the year 1000, the building was part of the larger project promoted by the Bishop Orso Orseolo, for the reconstruction of the entire complex of the Cathedral. The building received its current appearance around the 12th century, when it was rebuilt to house the relics of the christian martyrs Fosca and Maura, brought from Sabratha, in Africa.   ARCHITECTURE OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA FOSCA The church, with a circular plan, is an example of the Venetian-Byzantine style. It stands outside the remains of the ancient city square, next to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the remains of the ancient baptistery. The church is surrounded on Read more [...]

The Church of Santa Maria del Rosario, commonly known as I Gesuati (the Jesuates), is a church in Venice, located on the Fondamenta delle Zattere, in the sestiere of Dorsoduro. The Gesuati name comes from the religious order of the Jesuates, suppressed in 1668, which owned a large convent in the area, later bought by the Dominicans.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DEL ROSARIO Compagnia dei Poveri Gesuati (Company of the Poor Jesuates) was formed at the end of the 14th century. In 1432, the institution began the construction of the nearby Church of Santa Maria della Visitazione, and of the adjacent convent. With the dissolution of the order, the complex passed to the Dominicans, who shortly after began the construction of a new larger church further along the Zattere. The church was built between 1726 and 1735 by the architect Giorgio Massari, with the collaboration of Giambattista Tiepolo and Gian Maria Morlaiter, and was consecrated on September 29, 1743, by the Patriarch Alvise Foscari. With the suppression of the religious orders of 1810, the church became a parish church.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DEL ROSARIO The facade of the Read more [...]

The Church of San Pietro di Castello is a church in Venice, which, until 1807, it was the city’s cathedral. The church is located on the northeastern area of Venice, in the Castello district (sestiere), not far from the Arsenale.   SHORT HISTORY As reported by the chronicler Giovanni Diacono, the building of the Church of San Pietro began around 822, and was completed nine years later, probably in 831. In 1120, a fire devastated the church, and a new larger structure was built, with a baptistery next to it dedicated to San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist), now lost. In 1451, with the suppression of the Patriarchate of Grado and the constitution of the Diocese of Castello of the Patriarchate of Venice, by the bull of Pope Nicholas V, the Church of Saint Peter became the new Cathedral of Venice. Between 1508 and 1524, the Patriarch Antonio Contarini decided to carry out restoration works on the ceiling, the vaults and the floor of the church. Between 1512 and 1526, the minor chapels were rebuilt and the decorations were redone. In 1558, the Patriarch Vienzo Diedo commissioned Andrea Palladio to rebuilt the facade and the interior of church. However, Read more [...]

Only a few meters away from the Rialto Bridge, in the San Polo district (sestiere), there is a church considered to be the oldest in Venice, the Church of San Giacomo di Rialto, popularly known as San Giacométo.   SHORT HISTORY According to tradition, the church was consacrated on March 25, 421, but the studies have shown that it was built much later. In a document of 1097, the place is mentioned, but without the church, and the first reliable information dates back to 1152. It seems that the church was consecrated only in 1177 by the Doge Sebastiano Ziani. In 1513, the church escaped the serious fire that devastated the nearby Rialto Market. In 1531, it underwent a restoration, and again in 1601, after an order of the Doge Marino Grimani, with the floor being raised to face the high water. Currently, the Church of San Giacomo is a rectorial church, dependent on the parish of San Silvestro.   ARCHITECTURE Interesting are the exterior with the bell-gable, the large clock and the Gothic porch, one of the last examples of this kind left in the city. The clock, added to the church in 1410, was restored in 1749, and Read more [...]

The Church of San Barnaba is a beautiful church in Venice, located in the district (sestiere) of Dorsoduro, in Campo San Barnaba. The church has a facade inspired by a Greek temple, and is famous for being featured in a few scenes of the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.   SHORT HISTORY The church was founded in 936, on the place of a previous church, San Lorenzo, which was probably built at the beginning of the 9th century. Because of the numerous fires, the Church of San Barnaba underwent several reconstructions, until it was finally consecrated on December 6, 1350. The current appearance dates back to 1779, when it was completed the renovation work began in 1749, on a project by the architect Lorenzo Boschetti. In 1810, in full Napoleonic domination, the parish was suppressed and the church was deconsecrated. It was later converted into a permanent exhibition space dedicated to the machines of Leonardo da Vinci.   ARCHITECTURE The facade of the church, designed by Lorenzo Boschetti, was built in 1749 in a Classical style, with Corinthian style columns. The interior has a single nave, with six side altars, three on the right and three on the Read more [...]

The Church of San Rocco is one of the four plague churches in Venice, along with San Giobbe, San Sebastiano and the Salute. The church was built for the Confraternity of San Rocco, founded in the plague year 1478, with the mission to help the poor and the sick, particularly the people suffering from the disease. San Rocco is the only Venetian church designed as a sacrarium for the remains of its titular saint, St. Roch, whose body is preserved within the high altar.   SHORT HISTORY A church was standing on this place before 1485. The new church was built after a design by the architect Pietro Bon, starting with 1489. In March, 1490, the left side-chapel of the presbytery was finished and ready to receive the remains of St. Roch, which were to be brought from San Silvestro. A competition for the construction of the high altar was won in 1517 by Venturino Fantoni, who designed a reliquary-altar, developed in Venice by the sculptor-architects Pietro and Tullio Lombardo. After 1680, the church was almost entirely demolished and rebuilt between 1726 and 1733 by the architect Giovanni Scalfarotto, who kept only the fifteenth century chancel and the ground-plan of Read more [...]

The Church of San Stae stands on the right bank of the Grand Canal, as you come from Piazzale Roma, heading to Piazza San Marco, between Palazzo Vendramin Calergi and Ca d’Oro, at an equal distance. Its external facade, characterized by rich decorations, faces the Canal Grande, and you can not pass beside it on a vaporetto without at least one admirative look.   SHORT STORY The church is said to have been built in 966 and dedicated to Sant’Eustacchio (San Stae, in the Venetian dialect). St. Eustacchio was the commander of Trajan’s army, who would have seen a crucifix between the antlers of a deer, while hunting. The first reference is in a document from 1127, where the church is remembered as a filial parish of San Pietro. This original church, rebuilt in the 12th century following a fire, was demolished in 1678. The current church was built by Giovanni Grassi, who realigned it to face the Grand Canal.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The facade, which has the form of a temple, with an imposing triangular pediment, supported by columns resting on high pedestals, was built by Domenico Rossi in 1709, whose design was the winner of a competition. Read more [...]

The Church of San Geremia and Santa Lucia is a church in Venice, located on the left bank of the Grand Canal, as you are heading to Piazza San Marco, right before its confluence with Canale di Cannaregio.   SHORT HISTORY The Church of San Geremia was founded in the 11th century by Mauro Tosello, who used it to house the arm of Saint Bartholomew brought from Apulia in 1043. The church was dedicated to the prophet Jeremiah, an old testament figure. The church was rebuilt in 1174 by the Doge Sebastiano Ziani, and reconsecrated only in 1292. Later, the church was demolished, and rebuilt again in 1753, by Carlo Corbellini, a Brescian priest and architect. The first mass was celebrated on April 27th, 1760, during the final works of reconstruction. Following the damage made by the Austrian bombardment of 1849, two new facades were built in the second half of the 18th century, one facing Campo San Geremia (Saint Jeremiah Square), and the other one oriented towards the Cannaregio Canal. A chapel built in 1863 contains the relics of the Sicilian Santa Lucia, stolen by Enrico Dandolo during the Sack of Constantinople, which, in 1204, marked the end of Read more [...]

Also known as the Duomo di Murano, the Church of Santa Maria e San Donato is one of the oldest buildings in the Venetian lagoon. Of byzantine conception, the church preserves the relics of Saint Donatus of Arezzo, martyred in the 4th century after Christ, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Flavius Claudius Iulianus.   SHORT HISTORY A document from the year 999 shows that the church had been built in the 7th century, when many refugees from the continent arrived on the Murano Island. Initially, it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and later, in 1125, when the relics of St. Donatus were brought from Cephalonia, it received a second patronage. The church, apparently, has been rebuilt at that time, in a Byzantine style, in the form that resisted, to a large extent, until today. The mosaic inside is marked with the year 1141, when these reconstruction works were completed. In the 18th century, the church was redecorated in Baroque style and later, between 1858 and 1873, a return to its original style was attempted. This development of the building was condemned by several voices, because the result was a hybrid between the 12th century style and the Read more [...]

Most of the tourists who visit the island of Giudecca are attracted by Il Redentore, the famous creation of Andrea Palladio, and only a few know that the island hosts another church attributed to the great architect, the Church of Santa Maria della Presentazione, popularly known as Le Zitelle.   SHORT HISTORY Le Zitelle is part of an ecclesiastical complex set up by the Jesuit Benedetto Palmi, to provide shelter to beautiful young girls (zitelle) from poor families, who otherwise would become prostitutes. Poor virgins were taken in and trained in lace and music making. They were protected until the age of 18, when they could choose between marriage or becoming nuns. If they chose marriage, a husband was found and a dowry was provided. The church was built between 1581 and 1588 by the architect Jacopo Bozzetto, after a project belonging to Andrea Palladio, which was initially intended for another location. The assignment of the church to Andrea Palladio is somehow controversial. Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio argues that in the absence of the documents that would link Palladio to this creation and because Palladian style is not very clear in this structure, the project could Read more [...]

There are many churches in Venice, and many are beautiful, but few impress like the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. It may be the place, because not many churches have their own island, or it may be the bell-tower, probably second in height after the one in the Saint Mark’s Square, but we can easily believe that, among all, the inspiration of Andrea Palladio matters probably the most.   SHORT HISTORY In 982, the Doge Tribuno Memmo donated the island of San Giorgio Maggiore to a benedictine monk, who will establish here a monastery. The church, built five years later, from brick and wood, will last until 1223, when it will be severely damaged by an earthquake. The Doge Pietro Ziani will fix it, only to retreat to the island a few years later. In 1109, the relics of St. Stephen will be brought here from Constantinople, and the annual celebration held on 26 December, on the saint’s day, will become one of the most popular Christian holidays in the Venetian calendar. The church we see today was begun by Andrea Palladio in 1565 and completed after his death, in 1610. The one who finished the project was, apparently, Vincenzo Read more [...]

When you are looking at the Giudecca Island, from Zattere, your eyes are attracted by the splendid creation of Andrea Palladio, Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore or, commonly known, Il Redentore (The Redeemer). The church impresses at first from the distance, thanks to its massive structure, but only in front of it you will be able to discover the details that complete one of the most valuable architectural creations of the Venetian Renaissance.   SHORT HISTORY After the plague epidemic of 1575-1577, that killed over 50,000 Venetians, the Senate of the Republic decided to build a church to celebrate the end of the scourge and to thank the Divinity. The mission was entrusted to the great Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, who was to begin the construction in 1577 and to leave it, after his death in 1580, to Antonio da Ponte, who would complete it many years later, in 1592. After the church was finished, the Venetian Senate established that every July, a pontoon will be built to link Zattere with the Giudecca island. In time, this tradition will become an important celebration for the Venetians, known as Festa del Redentore.   ARCHITECTURE Considered the most beautiful church built by Palladio, Read more [...]

On the southern bank of the Grand Canal, near to its end leading to St. Mark’s Basin, one of the most beautiful churches of Venice, Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, was built in the 17th century. A symbolic picture of the floating city, that appears in many of the documentaries about Venetian architecture, but also in many paintings left by famous artists such as Michele Marieschi, Francesco Guardi, John Singer Sargent, Walter Sickert and, of course, Canaletto.   SHORT HISTORY After the plague of 1630, which is said to have killed nearly a third of the population of Venice, the Venetian senate decided to build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After a competition between several architects of that time, the project was entrusted to the young Baldassare Longhena. The construction began in 1631, but the soil was not solid enough to support this massive structure, and the church was to be completed very late, not until 1687, five years after Longhena’s death. Every year, on November 21, Festa della Madonna della Salute is celebrated. The Venetians build a bridge over the Grand Canal, from San Marco to Dorsoduro, where locals go to worship the Virgin Mary, and Read more [...]