Tag: Mauro Codussi in Venice

Palazzo Corner Spinelli is a palace in Venice, located in the San Marco district (sestiere), overlooking the Grand Canal, across the canal from Palazzo Querini Dubois.   SHORT HISTORY The palace was commissioned by the Lando family, most probably to the architect Mauro Codussi. It was built between 1480 and 1490. In 1542, the palace was sold, due to the disastrous economic situation of the Lando family. It passed to the Corner family, who entrusted Michele Sanmicheli and Giorgio Vasari with the task of modernizing the interior of the building. The facade was preserved, while the whole rear part was rebuilt. The interventions relating to the interiors are attributable to the Classic style: use of columns and round arches, as well as the insertion of fireplaces in all the main rooms. Between 1740 and 1810, the palace was rented to the Spinelli family. Later, it was bought by the Cornoldi family. In 1850, it became the property of the dancer Maria Taglioni, also owner of Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, Palazzo Barzizza and Ca’ d’Oro.   ARCHITECTURE Palazzo Corner Spinelli is a beautiful example of the transition from the Gothic forms, predominant in Venice up to the 15th century, to the new Read more [...]

Scuola Grande di San Marco is a Renaissance building in Venice, located in the sestiere (district) of Castello, in Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, adjacent to Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo.   SHORT HISTORY OF SCUOLA GRANDE DI SAN MARCO The edifice was built in 1260 in the area of today’s Papadopoli Gardens as the seat of the Confraternity of San Marco. In 1437, the Dominicans of Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo granted an adjacent area for the construction of a new structure, which in 1485 was devastated by fire. Within the next years, the structure was rebuilt on a design by Pietro Lombardo and Giovanni Buora. In 1490, the works were entrusted to Mauro Codussi, who completed the facade and built the internal staircase. In the 16th century, the facade towards Rio dei Mendicanti was built, apparently with the contribution of Jacopo Sansovino. In 1807, under the Napoleonic rule, the Confraternity of San Marco was suppressed, and the building became the seat of the Austrian military hospital. Later, it was transformed into a civil hospital.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF SCUOLA GRANDE DI SAN MARCO The facade, a delicate composition of aedicules, Corinthian pilasters and statues in 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 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 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 [...]

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 [...]

Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, also known as Palazzo Loredan Vendramin Calergi, is an imposing palace on the Grand Canal, in Venice, where the composer Richard Wagner died in 1883. Since 1950, Palazzo Vendramin Calergi il also known for hosting the oldest casino in the world, Casino di Venezia, established in 1638.   SHORT HISTORY OF CA’ VENDRAMIN CALERGI The palace was commissioned in the late 15th century by the Loredan family to the famous architect Mauro Codussi. The building was his last work, completed in 1509, five years after his death. In 1581, the palace was sold to the Duke of Brunswick and, after some legal troubles, in 1589, it was bought by a rich nobleman, Vettor Calergi, for his wedding with Isabetta Gritti. Vettor Calergi had only one daughter, Marina, who was married in 1608 to Vincenzo Grimani. The palace passed, by inheritance, to the sons of Marina with the obligation to take also the surname Calergi. The three sons of Marina remained famous for their ferocity – after the cruel murder of Francesco Querini Stampalia, they were banned from the Republic and deprived of the property, but after a donation to the Senate for war expenses, they were reinstated in Read more [...]