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 San Giorgio dei Greci by Zvrlj
The rectangular interior of this very fine Renaissance church is dominated by the marble iconostasis with decorated panels in Byzantine style.
San Giorgio dei Greci is located in Castello area, sharp north from Santa Maria della Pieta church. It can be reached from Riva degli Schiavoni walking through Cale della Pieta, then turn left to Calle dietro la Pieta, then, just after a meter or two – right to Calle Bosello, then the first left to Calle della Madonna and, finally, before crossing the bridge – right. The church is in small yard by Rio dei Greci. Leave a Comment Directions: San Giorgio dei Greci is sharp north from Santa Maria della Pieta church. It can be reached from Riva degli Schiavoni by walking through Cale della Pieta. The church is in small yard by Rio dei Greci.
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If you want to escape the jostling of San Marco take the motoscafo 82 in S. Zaccharia and cross the Bacino of San Marco. There is, in my opinion, nothing more grandiose in Venice than the square of San Giorgio Maggiore with the gleaming white Renaissance facade and the incomparable view on the Piazza, Ducal Palace, the Dogana and S. Maria della Salute.
The present church was built on the plans of Andrea Palladio between 1566 and 1610.
San Giorgio is typical of the late Renaissance. It is well lit, airy, and symmetrical. Thermal, clerestory windows bring light to the side chapels and to the nave.
The main attraction of San-Giorgio is the campanile 75 m high. (Entrance left of the choir). The present campanile was built in 1791; the previous one from 1467 tumbled down in 1774. The one of San Marco tumbled down in 1902.
During a previous visit, ten years ago, we found that the elevator was very slow and somewhat shaky but the price was only 1000 LIT (= 0, 50 €). Nowadays it is fast but costs 3€ (inflation in Venice is far ahead from any other town!).
Most of the time there is no queue, what is a marked advantage over San Marco's campanile.
The landscape in all directions is amazing: the whole of Venice, the lagoon with its green waters, all the islands of which the biggest, the Lido, in the south and beyond the Adriatic Sea.
In the Northwest: the airport, Mestre and the industries of Marghera. We were able, on an exceptionally clear day, to perceive the line of the Dolomites in the distance!
At the feet of the bell tower extends the monastery in a green environment.
Down from the bell tower one can admire the beautiful stalls in walnut of the choir of the church.
Open: May to September 9.30-12.30 & 14.30-18.30 h.
October to April 9.30-12.30, & 14.30-16.30 h.
Free entrance to the church.
Campanile 3€.
Outside, on the left of the church there is a small harbour for sailboats with a nice hexagonal lighthouse at the entrance and further a little bar. It could be a great place for a restaurant with terrace but there is none.
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Santa Maria della Salute is my favoured church in Venice, more than San Marco for a very practical reason: during my last two visits to Venice the queue at San Marco was so long that I abandoned any hope of getting inside, while at the "Salute" there was no queue and I could sit quietly on the steps of the square in front of the basilica with a splendid view on the Bacino di San Marco. Even better, there are no pigeons here.
The architectural reason for liking this church is obvious. In 1630 the architect Baldassare Longhena ((1598-1682)), then only 32 years old, was selected to design a new church dedicated to the Virgin Mary after Venice was delivered from the plague that had killed about a third of its population.
Longhena realized a work of a great beauty and homogeneity only completed in 1687, after his death. Santa Maria della Salute achieves perfection in the baroque style which is equalled by no other church of Venice.
The technical exploit is stunning, 1.106.657 piles of oak, alder and larch were needed for the foundations. On top of these 4 m long piles was build a platform called "zatterone" of oak and larch beams fixed together on which the actual stone construction could start.
The centrepiece of the structure is the church's great altar. The altar is sculpted with images of the Virgin and Child saving Venice from horrors of the plague epidemic of 1630.
The structure of the church is based on an octagonal space with six chapels radiating from the ambulatory. The floors in Santa Maria della Salute are decorated with beautiful ceramic tiles. To preserve these tiles people are not admitted in the central space.
S. Maria della Salute is a landmark of Venice and has often been represented in paintings by Canaletto and Guardi (XVIIIth), and later Turner, Monet, Boudin, Pissaro, Sargent from the Grand Canal side or from de Bacino di San Marco.
Open daily: 9 -12 and 15 - 18h. Times may be subject to variation depending on services.
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 San Pantalon by Zvrlj
San Pantalon is particularly well-known for the stupendous painting, considered to be the largest painting on canvas in the world – "The Martyrdom and Apotheosis of St Pantalon", artwork of Gian Antonio Fumiani which he painted from 1680 until 1704. Approximate dimension of the painting is 25×50 m, and it covers the whole of the ceiling of the church. Fumiani putatively died from a fall from a scaffold, although some sources date his death to six years after he had completed his work on this canvas. He was buried in San Pantalon church.
Other notable works include Trecento masterpiece "Madonna of the Poppy" by Paolo Veneziano, "Coronation of the Virgin" by Antonio Vivarini and Giovanni d'Alemagna in the Chapel of the Holy Nail and "St Pantalon healing a Boy" or "Conversion of St Pantaleon", probably the last work of Paolo Veronese, originally commissioned for the high altar. Leave a Comment Directions: Church San Pantalon is located on Campo San Pantalon north of Campo Santa Margherita.
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Basilica Santa Maria della Salute was built in the 17th century, as the gratitude to Virgin Mary, after ending of plague epidemic in 1630. It was designed by Venetian architect Baldassare Longhena who was 33 years old when he received the commission in 1631. He worked on the project intermittently for the rest of his life but died five years prior to its completion in 1687. The volutes, the large dome, the statues and the stairs make Santa Maria della Salute exterior a spectacular sight, which, accompanied with its dominant position made Santa Maria della Salute one of the most recognizable symbols of Venice.
The interior of Santa Maria della Salute is octagonal with robust arches at the sides divided by columns, on which rest the frame and tambour of the dome. The marble floor is decorated with an exquisite spiral mosaic which depicts the thirty-two roses of the Virgin Mary's rosary.
There is a profusion of notable artworks in Santa Maria Della Salute. Since the November 1670 the centre of the High Altar, designed by Longhena and executed by Josse de Corte, is the place of the famous "The Madonna della Salute", made in the 12th century. Among the artworks in the side altars are "Presentation of Mary at the Temple" painted by Luca Giordano and Titian's "The Descent of the Holy Ghost". The large sacristy, which connects the basilica to the adjacent Seminary building treasures some of the greatest Venetian paintings.
To be continued in PART II… Leave a Comment Directions: Santa Maria della Salute is visible from Piazzetta San Marco, and it is just one vaporetto station away from Pontile di San Marco.
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Madonna dell'Orto, one of the most beautiful "hidden" churches in Venice and "one of the greatest expressions of the Venetian Gothic" is settled in quiet and peaceful northern Cannaregio district. It was built in late 14th and reconstructed during 15th century. Originally dedicated to St Christopher, the church changed its name because an ancient statue of Virgin, found in a nearby garden and considered to be miraculous, was brought there. The portal of the church, designed by Bartolomeo Bon, is decorated with statue of St Christopher Carrying the Christ Child artwork of Nicolo di Giovanni called Fiorentino, architect and the sculptor of, probably, Croatian origin. At the top of side naves are twelve statues of the Apostles – six on each. There is a legend about one of thirty silver coins, Judas' award for betraying Christ, being there, inside the sculpture of Judas. At the upper part of central nave there is Virgin Annunciate, another sculpture by Nicolo di Giovanni.
Although there is Cima da Conegliano masterpiece "St John the Baptist with Saints" in Madonna dell'Orto, this church is the best known for the works of Jacopo Robusti called Tintoretto. Tintoretto lived nearby the church, he had been a parishioner of Madonna dell’Orto and, finally he had been buried in it, along with his son Domenico and daughter Marietta.
To be continued in PART II… Leave a Comment Directions: Madonna dell'Orto is on north of Venice. There is vaporetto station "Madonna dell'Orto" very near the church. The nearest place on Grand Canal is San Marcuola, and it is ten minutes of nice walk far from Madonna dell'Orto.Website: http://www.madonnadellorto.org/
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 Santa Maria della Salute by Zvrlj
Santa Maria della Salute has its place in Serbian culture as it was the inspiration for one of the greatest poems in Serbian language – "Santa Maria della Salute" written by Laza Kostic in 1909. Leave a Comment Directions: Santa Maria della Salute is visible from Piazzetta San Marco, and it is just one vaporetto station away from Pontile di San Marco.
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 San Zaccaria by Zvrlj
If not for any other reason, San Zaccaria should not be missed because of Bellini's masterpiece. Leave a Comment Directions: San Zaccaria is a short walk far from the vaporetto station of the same name on Riva degli Schiavoni. It is on the east side of Basilica of San Marco, very near it.
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 San Giovanni in Bragora by Zvrlj
The best known painting in this church is "Baptism of Christ", made by Cima da Conegliano. Among the others are "Washing of the Feet" by Jacopo di Antonio Negretti called Palma Giovane, "Virgin and Child with St John the Baptist and St Andrew" by Bartolomeo Vivarini, "Resurrection" by Alvise Vivarini…
According to legend, San Giovanni in Bragora was one of the seven original churches on the islands of Venice. Another legend says that on the spot where the church now stands once stood the little church of St Mark, where, tradition has it, on his return from Aquileia St Mark the Evangelist greeted an angel with the words "Pax tibi Marce Evangelista meus", which form the motto of the Republic of Venice.
Antonio Vivaldi, famous Venetian composer and violinist, and Pietro Barbo, later to be Pope Paul II were baptized in Church San Giovanni in Bragora. Leave a Comment Directions: San Giovanni in Bragora is located in Castello area on Campo Bandiera e Moro or De la Bragora, by Riva degli Schavioni. The nearest vaporetto stations are "San Zaccaria" and "Arsenale".
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Church Santa Maria Formosa dominates the square of the same name. The church dates back to the 7th century and, according to tradition, it was founded by St Magnus, bishop of Oderzo. The name "formosa" relates to an alleged appearance of the Holy Virgin disguised as a fashionable woman. The church was restored several times, particularly in the 9th and 12th centuries, and finally rebuilt in 1492 by Mauro Codussi. But when Codussi died in 1504, he had still not begun work on the facades which long remained unfinished. Almost 40 years later, in 1542 Capello family financed construction of the Renaissance-style facade facing the channel. The Baroque facade, facing the square, was completed one century afrer Codussi’s dead – in 1604, and work was financed by the same Capello family. The bell tower is the 17th century Baroque addition too.
Among the most remarkable artworks in Santa Maria Formosa are "Triptych of Madonna of Misericordia" by Bartolomeo Vivarini, "Polyptych of St Barbara" by Jacopo Negretti called Palma Vecchio, "The Last Supper" by Leandro Bassano… Leave a Comment Directions: Santa Maria Formosa is located approximately on the half way from Piazza San Marco to Campo San Giovanni e Paolo.
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