Churches, Venice

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If you want to escape the jostling of San Marco take the motoscafo Linea 2 (the former 82 is now nr 2) 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. My photos 4 & 5 show the high altar and behind it the wooden choir with the sculpted stalls for the monks and carved scenes of the life of St. Benedict.

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 former monastery, now Cini foundation, in a green environment.

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 (2011) 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.

Church San Giovanni in Bragora dedicated to St John the Baptist, had been founded at the beginning of the 8th century by St Magnus, the Bishop of Oderzo. It was restored in the 9th and the 12th centuries and rebuilt in 1475 in the Gothic style. Its brick facade is divided vertically by pilasters that mark the internal division of the church into nave and side aisles. Addition to its name is probably derived from the old dialectal word "bragolare", meaning the fishing trade, or from "bragola", meaning a market square, but another tradition states that the church took its name from the Greek "agora", which means simply "square".

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.

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CASTELLO
VAPORETTO - SAN ZACCARIA

The Church of La Pieta - or Santa Maria della Visitazione was originally a convent, built by Father Pietruccio of Assisi to gather foundlings. There was a convent here as early as 1346.

The Fathers familiar cry of "Pietà, pietà!“, as he begged for charitable alms, gave the name to the convent.

The convent expanded over the years.

It became so popular that a plaque was sited on the outer wall in 1548, promising damnation to families who tried to pass off their children as orphans - the plaque can still be seen on the side wall, in Calle dell Pieta (Pic 2)

From 1735 -1738 the orphans choir conducted by Antonio Vivaldi in the church attracted fame. (From 1704 - 18 he had been the violin master)

While here, Vivaldi wrote numerous vocal pieces, oratorios and cantatas for the choir

Every Palm Sunday, the doge visited the Orphanage.

The convent was re-built between 1745 and 1760 by Giorgio Massari.

Vivaldi probably advised on the acoustics, although he died before construction began.
In 1906 the Classical facade was added.

The building became more of a concert hall than a church, attended by Venetians and visitors.

In the 18th Century, the area in front of La Pieta was widened, typical of the era of 'Showiness'. Sadly at the same time, Massari's planned improvements for the orphanage were cancelled - Due to lack of funding!

The interiors' ceiling is covered in a fresco by Giambattista Tiepolo 'Triumph of Faith' which dates from 1755.

La Pieta is a popular concert venue for musical performances, mainly Vivaldi pieces throughout the year. Some guide books sniffily refer to these as 2nd rate performances of Vivaldis classic pieces.

Open June - Oct 10.00 - 12.00 and 15.30 -18.30 daily - Sunday open morning only.
I've just recently caught part of a programme on BBC4 called Vivaldis Women, which had some interesting information about La Pieta

Look at the stone relief over the main doorway - A figure of the Madonna and infant is the work of the 19th Century artist - E. Marsili, titled 'Charity' It's unusual, in that the baby Jesus is held informally, with its arms clasping her neck - (see picture 3)
UPDATE DEC 2009 - I managed to see inside - Strictly no photos allowed - Post cards 1 Euro each!!!!!!!

If you continue down C/de Pieta, you arrive in Campo Bandiera e Moro and see the place where Vivaldi was baptised- S. Giovanni in Bragora - look for the plaque on the outside wall of the church, and the font inside.

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This church is just one of the many we got to visit in Venice, but it's the one that stands out the most in my mind because of its unique architecture: the church has two identical facades, one facing the canal (as shown in the first picture) and another one at a 90° angle facing the campo. The story goes that the church was built in the area where lived two rival families, the Castellani and Nicolotti. During the 16th century, when plans were made to build a new church to replace the one that was getting too old, a decision was made to build two separate entrances so that both families could attend mass without ever having to see each other. I guess this story about the Montagues and Capulets wasn't so far fetched after all!

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Santa Lucia, one of Italy's most beloved saints, was born in the city of Syracuse, in Sicily. Saint Lucy's day is celebrated on December 13 in many coutries around the world, and it usually involves the lighting of candles since Santa Lucia is known as the patron saint of the blind. As part of the strange custom of worshipping holy relics, parts of the saint's body were initially scattered throughout Italy, France and Germany. However, the bulk of her body was brought to Venice by one of the city's doges in the early 13th century. Her relics were first deposited in the church of Santa Lucia, but when the latter was demolished to make way for the train station that bears its name, the saint's body was transferred to the nearby church of San Geremia, where numerous pilgrims come to pay their respect every year. The 13th century church is open to visitors free of charge.

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There are dozens of historical churches in the city of Venice, most of them hiding wonderful art and architectural treasures. While many of the churches are open to visitors free of charge, there usually is a price of admission (3 Euros) for the most interesting ones. However, Venice's Chorus Pass gives access to 17 of the city's churches for only 10 Euros. The churches are located all over the city, which allows you to discover some of Venice's most charming and quiet off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods along the way. The Chorus Pass can be bought at any of the 17 churches, and when you do so you also receive a brochure that includes a map of Venice and some information about the different churches. Also, in each of the churches you'll be provided with a fact sheet in the language of your choice. I thought it was well worth the 10 Euros!

Pictures are usually not allowed in the churches covered by the Chorus Pass and although I didn't see this rule strictly enforced, visitors are expected to wear proper attire (nothing too short or too revealing).

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The basilica dedicated to St. John and St. Paul is one of the biggest churches in all of Venice. Its rather sober and narrow brick facade doesn't exactly prepare you for what you find once you step inside - the basilica's nave stretches for several meters, supported by ten enormous stone columns. "Zanipolo", as the church is known to Venitians, dates back to the 13th century, when a Venitian doge decided to build a church that would be worthy of the city's Dominican friars. The church was finally completed in 1430, and from then on the funeral services of the city's Doges took place there. Even though some chose to be buried elsewhere, 25 doges picked Zanipolo as their final resting place, and the church therefore boasts some of the city's most elaborate funeral monuments, including some by Pietro Lombardo, one of Venice's most renowned Renaissance sculptor. The basilica's numerous chapels are also home to great works of art, along with one of St. Catherine of Siena's feet (!). The basilica is open daily and admission costs 2.50 Euros (not included in the Chorus Pass).

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One of the worst ever plague outbreaks to hit the city of Venice took place in the years 1629-1630, killing nearly a third of the population. Prior to this terrible outbreak, a series of "plague churches" had been built when the city had been affected by this disease. People thought that by dedicating a church to a saint and asking for his protection, the epidemic would stop. Given how severe the 1629-1630 outbreak was, people decided to build an even bigger church and to dedicate it to the Virgin Mary. Baldassare Longhena designed the church of Santa Maria della Salute in the style of his master, Andrea Palladio. It took over 50 years to build the church - Longhena, who had been a young man when his project was chosen, died only one year after the completion of his life's most significant work. Inside, six chapels decorated by the works of Luca Giordano, Titian and Tintoretto along with the high altar give the church its unusual octogonal shape. Santa Maria della Salute is located in the Dorsoduro area, facing the Grand Canal, and can thus be seen from the Piazza San Marco. I thought it was one of the city's nicest churches, and admission is free!