VENICE CHURCHES
BASILICA DI SAN MARCO (ST. MARK’S BASILICA)
History
The foundation of St. Mark’s Basilica is tightly connected with the arrival of Saint Mark’s remains in order to keep them protected. Since then, Saint Mark the Evangelist became the patron Saint of Venice instead of Teodoro from Costantinopoli. According to a local Legend, when the Evangelist went to Venice, an angel came to him saying: "Peace to you, Mark my Evangelist". It is said that it was God that wanted Saint Mark the Evangelist to become the Saint patron of the Lagoon.
The ancient church was firstbuilt in 828 under commission of Giustiniano Partecipazio. It was replaced in 832 at its present site by a new church. The building was burned down in 976 and later rebuilt in 978. Today's building was finished in 1094.
The Basilica is the result of Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance and Moorish artistic elements which give an idea of the several adaptations to which St. Mark’s Basilica has been subject; for example the external structure of the church is made up of many architectural designs from Orient.
Structure1. The facade – is 52 meters long and has five rounded arch portals supported by columns. All the arches are decorated with Byzantine mosaics.
Each mosaic represents a symbolic image: the mosaic to the left of the central arch represents the arrival of St. Mark’s body in Venice: on the left we can see when St. Mark’s remains were purloined in Alexandria. The main mosaic describes the last Judgment (by L. Querena).
Two Greek horses are located on the Terrance directly above the main arch that replaced the original ones.
2. The atrium – the atrium of the basilica is decorated with beautiful arches. They are supported by marble columns. It is believed that some of those came from Jerusalem (Temple of Solomon).
The atrium is covered by golden mosaics of the XIII century representing the Old and New Testament.
3. The interior – of St. Mark’s has the shape of a Greek cross. The arms of the cross are united by round arches upon the marble columns.
The floor is covered with a good 400 metres mosaic, made between XII and XIV century. The remains of St. Mark’s the Evangelist are contained in the main alter above which we can see the Golden Altar Screen, wanted by Doge Pietro Orsolo in 978.
It was more than ones restructured. Byzantine religious images, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and topazes around it makes this piece a class for itself.
The Pala d’oro, located behind the high altar of St. Mark’s Basilica, represents a great example of fine Byzantine art.
It was committed by the Doge Ordelaffo Faliero in 1102 and concluded 3 years later.
In spite of that, the present appearance comes back to 1342, when the Doge Andrea Dondolo appointed the goldsmith Gian Paolo Boninsegna to renovate the basic structure of the Pala.
The name comes from the Latin word "Latin Palla", a decorated cloth that was used to cover the high-altar.
The sumptuous masterpiece is divided in several different parts:
– The first part illustrates the Story of St. Mark, the portrait of the Doge, the Pantacrator (a Greek word referring to the Divine);
– The second part (in the middle of the highest part), contains the image of Archangel Michael. On the sides, the six festivities devoted to Jesus are located: Entry in Jerusalem, Resurrection, Crucifixion, Ascension, Pentecost and Domitio Viriginis.
– The lower part illustrates the Blessed Virgin and the Emperor Giovanni Comneno whose representation was later modified to look like the Doge Ordelaffo Faliero.
The Four horses of St. Mark’s Square were once located over the main entrance of the Basilica. The statues consist in a monumental quartet of horses made of bronze and covered by Gold.
The statues were a part of the war spoils after the 4th crusade in 1204 (time of Doge Enrico Dandolo).
The horses were made through fusion by a former model in argil. The statues seem to be designed by Romans around the II – III centuries. During the war between Austria and French the four horses were taken away by Napoleon, in Paris.
After the collapse of Napoleon’s Empire the statues came back to Venice (1815).
Nowadays the four horses are preserved inside the Basilica for protection against pollution and erosion.
General Information
Basilica of St. Mark
Address: Piazza San MarcoPhone: 0039 041 5225205
fax: 0039 041 5208289
Opening times:
1/10 – 31/03 9.45am – 4.45pm
1/04 – 30/10 9.45am – 5pm
Free Entrace
Mail: biblioteca.proc@patriarcatovenezia.it
Website:www.basilicasanmarco.it
Marciano Museum
Opening times:1/10 – 31/03 9.45am – 4.45pm (festivities: 1pm – 4.45pm)
1/04 – 30/10 9.45am – 5pm (festivities: 2pm – 5pm)
Ticket prices:
full price € 3; reduced € 1,5
Pala d’Oro
Opening times:1/10 – 31/03 9.45am – 4.45pm (festivities: 1pm – 4.45pm)
1/04 – 30/10 9.45am – 5pm (festivities: 2pm – 5pm)
Ticket prices:
full price € 1,5; reduced € 1
Tesoro
Opening times:1/10 – 31/03 9.45am – 4.45pm (festivities: 1pm – 4.45pm)
1/04 – 30/10 9.45am – 5pm (festivities: 2pm – 5pm)
ticket prices:
full price: € 2; reduced: € 1
booking: www.alata.it/ita/BOOKING/sanmarco.asp
How to get there: lines 1, 52, 82 (San Marco)
See more information about St Mark’s Square on our site
SANTA MARIA DELLA SALUTE
"I have created a church in the form of a rotunda, a work of new invention, not built in Venice, a work very worthy and desired by many. This church, having the mystery of its dedication, being dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, made me think, with what little talent God ahs bestowed upon me of building the church in the ... shape of a crown".
The church of Santa Maria della Salute (the Salut) is a buildind in perfect baroque style, built at the end of XVIII century by Baldassare Longhena.
The Salute was sort of a vote in honour of St. Mary. It was wanted by the patriarch of Venice Tiepolo after a great pandemic in the city that provoked a many victims.
Its erection was committed To Baldassare Loghena after a long selection of several designs that saw involved Alessandro Varotari, Berteo Belli, Matteo Ignoli, Zambattista Rubentini, Antonio Smeraldi.
Therefore the Longhena’s design had to wait for the authorization of the Venetian Senate.
The Salute is a vast building with an octagonal shape, made of istrian stone and marmonio.
The interior of the dome is formed by a nave, three chapels and a floor made of a coloured marle with a flower decoration.
Works of Titian are Marriage at Cana in the great sacristy, the other representative artist, Tintoretto painted for the church St Mark enthroned with saints Cosmas, Damian, Sebastian and Roch, the altarpiece of the sacristy, the ceiling with David and Goliath, Abraham and Isaac and Cain and Abel, eight tondi of the Doctors of the Church and the Evangelists and Pentecost in the nave.
Every year the church become the destination of the religious procession celebrated in November .
SAN GIORGIO MAGGIORE
In the island of San Giorgio, in front of the small Square of St. Mark, there’s the site where once the Benedictine monastery was located.
Both the church and the monastery were more than once subject for modifications. The present structure is a Palladio’s design even though it was in the past worked by other acthitects such as Michelozzi: He was the patron of Cosimo de Medici. The Renaissance art made its first appearance in a typical gothic city.
Michelozzi was appointed for building the library of the monastery. Unfortunately it was burned in 1614.
The remaining part of the building that survived the fire is a dormitory named "La manica Lunga" and the cloisters.
The erection of the church by Palladio started in the year 1566, and the façade was started in 1597 and finished in 1610 by Vincenzo Scamozzi after Palladio's death in 1580.
The church sets in an harmonious relationship with the external environment, and the church was built in order to overlook the basin of St. Mark.
It has three naves at the structure of the Basilica.
On the façade, majestic columns sustain the central part of the church.
Inside, the succession of geometrical spaces give to the interior an harmonious appearance.
The church preserves important works by Jacopo Bassano, Sebastiano Ricci, Vittore Carpaccio, but the most significant is the Ultima Cena (Last Supper) (1592-94) by Tintoretto
The cloisters of San Giorgio Maggiore is today the seat of the well-known Giorgio Cini Foundation, that deals with international art exhibition.
Less popular than the homonym work by Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper by Tintoretto is considered by art critics a real masterpiece. Tintoretto painted the Last Supper several times in his life.
He represented the holy moment of the first communion. The whole work is dipped in a generalized darkness that transmits to the viewers an insecurity feeling and a sensation of mystery.
Light and dark continuously alternate themselves; the disciples sitting around the table and also the other figures moving in the painting look like disquieting presences; the virtuous movements of the angels are very far from the Renaissance style of representation.
In this kind of obscure context, Jesus, the only illuminated figure, symbolizes the absolute good. With his creative ability Tintoretto manages to represent a deep mystic tension that emotionally involves the spectators. The work is considered a masterpiece of mannerist-style, (that is to say high Renaissance period) constitutes a great example of the first baroque suggestions.
SANTA MARIA GLORIOSA DEI FRARI
The church of Santa Maria dei Frari was committed by the Franciscan monks after the Doge Jacopo Tiepolo donated them a vast territory in Campo dei Frari, the hearth of the San Paolo district.
The erection of the church began in 1340 and concluded only one century later. The present church is made of red bricks.
The façade is in typical gothic style even though the church presents several architectural differences: it’s in fact a mixture of early and late gothic style that doesn’t contrast with each other so to create a general harmonious aspect.
The entry is surmounted by a gothic arch; on the cusp there is the statue of Cristo Risorto by Alessandro Vittoria.
On the sides there are two columns in istrian stone. They sustain the statues of Madonna col Bambino and San Fransceco by Bortolomeo Bon.
The bell tower, built in the second half of XIV century, it's made of terracotta. The church has a Latin cross–shape formed by three naves. The spectator will remain fascinated by the majestic central nave. At the bottom of the nave, a wonderful presbytery embellishes the terminal part of the church.
The big altar consecrated in 1516, preserves a masterpiece by Titian the Assunta. The church also contains other important works by Donatello and Antonio Rizzo.
The Assunta by Titian (1516-18) was initially located in Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, then it was removed to the Academia Galleries but returned to the Church after the 1st World War.
The style of the masterpiece presents many similarities with the one by Raffaello.
Tintoretto decides to abandon the realistic style of Bellini to create a more dramatic effect, but also to enrich the painting with symbolic meanings.
Tintoretto represents the blessed Virgin in the highest part of the canvass, as she went up to the Heaven.
Tintoretto marks out the ground from the Heaven through a series of clouds surrected by angels. In this way Tintoretto gives to the mystic event a more realistic content.
BASILICA SAN GIOVANNI E PAOLO
The Basilica of San Giovanni and Paolo is one of the largest churches of Venice. It is a gothic edifice and it's dedicated to Giovanni and Paolo but not the two apostles.
It represent the Dominician church of Venice: the Construction of this church started at the end of the 14th century by the Dominican friars. It was completed at the beginning of the 15th century.
The vast interior contains many funerary monuments and paintings as well as the Madonna della Pace, a miraculous Byzantine statue situated in its own chapel in the south aisle.
SANTA MARIA DEI MIRACOLI
The Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli was built in the early Renaissance. The Construction of the church began in 1481 on a project by Pietro Lombardo with the aim of giving a worthy placing to the icon of the Virgin venerated since the 1408.
The available funds far exceeded the costs of construction; thus the procurators decided to expand upon the existing plan.
The structure, initially intended as a shrine, was transformed into a monastic institution.
Santa Maria dei Miracoli is also known as the "marble church". It is located in the Sestiere of Cannaregio.
This churh represent one of the most important example of Venetian Renaissance. The interior is enclosed by a wide barrel vault with a single nave.
The naive is dominated by an ornamental marble stair rising between two pulpets with statues by Tullio Lombardo, Alessandro Vittoria and Nicolò di Pietro.
It's represent One of the most attractive religious buildings in Europe.
One side of its polychrome-marbled facade runs alongside a canal creating colorful and shimmering reflections.
CHIESA DEL REDENTORE
Clearly defined sequences of self-sufficient spaces in the Redentore represent Palladio’s intellectual resolution of the problem of joining a domed crossing to an extended nave.
James S. Ackerman, Palladio. Baltimore, Maryland, Penguin Books.
Redentore church was built by the year 1576, after a serious pandemic in Venice (1575 – 76). It was wanted as a shelter to assure town’s salvation from future epidemics. It’s a Renaissance-style church designed by Palladio.
The Redentore is a masterpiece of architectural tecnic, harmony, perfect balance of the elements. The church has a longitudinal shape and it’s formed by a one single nave.
Two bell towers are placed on the sides of the cupola that has a resemblance to the one by Brunelleschi in Florence.
Like the other buildings designed by Palladio, the light illuminates all the interior of the Church.
Every year (3rd Sunday of July) there is a procession in the mane of the Redentore, to remember the historical tragical event of the epidemic plague.
