Church of San Geremia and Santa Lucia

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 the Fourth Crusade.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The interior of the church is simplistic. In the beautiful altar, with its presbytery, you can admire the statues of Saint Peter the Apostle and Saint Jeremiah the prophet, made by Giovanni Ferrari at the end of the 18th century. In the background, you can discover the monochrome fresco of Agostino Mengozzi Colonna.

Other works of art worth mentioning are The Coronation of Venice by Saint Magnus, one of the four paintings made by Palma il Giovane for the church, and sculptures by Giovanni Maria Morlaiter and Giovanni Marchiori.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Church of San Geremia and Santa Lucia is located about 400 meters away from the Venezia Santa Lucia railway station. The closest waterbus stop is Guglie, on ACTV Lines 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 5.2, about 250 meters from the church. If you need precise directions, you can use the map below.