No longer open to the public, this church is worth visiting anyway just because this neighborhood is so nice and also to see the beautiful relief of the Madonna on the outside of the church.
The church is dedicated to San Tommaso Apostolo (the apostle Thomas, famous for doubting). Originally built in the tenth century, the church has been restructured several times since, most recently in 1742. The façade designed by Longhena was added in 1660 and rebuilt a century later when it was on the verge of falling off.
On the right side of the church is the sarcophagus of Giovanni Priuli, a 14th century war hero and senator. Hard to photograph, but his feet are resting on a small dog. On the left side is one of the most beautiful Madonnas in town, a gothic relief of the Madonna della Misericordia. Gorgeous.
After the fall of the Republic, the church amassed an enormous collection of sacred relics (as many as 10,000 including 12 complete corpses, Jan Morris says in The World of Venice). These relics were rescued by a San Toma priest from other suppressed churches. Wonder where are they now?
Only the lower section of the campanile remains; Roman-style bells were added to the stub.
Today the church is a “daughter church” of the Frari which replaced San Toma as the parish church for this part of sestiere San Polo . The owner of Trattoria San Toma told me that once a month or so, he hears people inside singing – he thinks the Frari rents it out occasionally to non-Catholic church groups from the mainland (the singing is NOT Catholic, he said!). It’s never open to the public or for Mass, he told me. Nice gentleman and this is a great place to eat with an outdoor patio (see first photo) and excellent pizza. One of the waiters made me laugh – when I ordered a sgroppino at the end of my meal, he threw his hands out and very dramatically said, “Why not? This is the city of sgroppino!” If you've never had one, give it a try - it's part cocktail, part dessert, and totally delicious.
More Churches:
Churches in Cannaregio
Churches in Castello
Churches in Dorsoduro
Churches in San Marco
Churches in San Polo
Churches in Santa Croce
Churches on the Lagoon Islands
Comments (5)
Now that was a beaut read this morning! :)
Posted by Leslie | September 16, 2008 4:57 PM
Posted on September 16, 2008 16:57
Hi Annie, I enjoyed reading about the history of the San Toma Church. And that is a gorgeous Madonna. Great close-up. The pizza at the Trattoria San Toma sounds delicious! I think I would've liked sgroppino!:)
Thanks for the great read and for posting these terrific photos!
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | September 16, 2008 9:48 PM
Posted on September 16, 2008 21:48
This is such an interesting story. The Madonna is indeed gorgeous and I love the kneeling figures protected by the Madonna's mantle.
I'm taking notes and added this campo and the restaurant to my Google map.
Posted by María I. | September 17, 2008 6:08 PM
Posted on September 17, 2008 18:08
Beautiful photos! I love the Madonna shots. I also enjoyed learning about this church. I can just picture that waiter throwing his hands out as you ordered your sgroppino! I still need to try one of those one of these day.
Posted by girasoli | September 18, 2008 4:10 AM
Posted on September 18, 2008 04:10
Ooo, I want a sgroppino!! Maybe Maria and I can sample this yummy concoction together! And visit some of these fabulous offbeat churches and shrines you have told us about.
Posted by Anne | September 24, 2008 9:30 AM
Posted on September 24, 2008 09:30