One of my very favorite shrines was this little stone niche honoring San Antonio. Even though it was badly degraded and looked like it’s melting into the wall, there’s something so poignantly beautiful about those old stones and that little purple candle.
So I had a bit of a pang when I saw that it’s gone and has been replaced by a modern shrine. I guess it was beyond repair and perhaps the people who live in this building or neighborhood wanted a new one. It’s still dedicated to San Antonio and still has a candle. You can find this one in Dorsoduro in Campo Angelo Raffaele
Looks like they scrubbed down the facade of the whole building.
Comments (14)
It is sad to see the old one disappear. It's a bit like I said on your murals blog - we want Venice to be preserved in aspic but I guess the locals want to live in the 21st century.
Posted by Andrew | February 9, 2011 12:36 PM
Posted on February 9, 2011 12:36
Andrew, exactly. And at least they did replace it...same place, same size and shape, same saint.
I might like the new one better in a few years after it gets weather beaten and doesn't look so NEW!
Posted by Annie | February 9, 2011 1:11 PM
Posted on February 9, 2011 13:11
We're so lucky that you had recorded the old one.
Posted by Yvonne | February 9, 2011 6:43 PM
Posted on February 9, 2011 18:43
Wow, they really scrubbed up that facade -- which looks good. But I'm not sure about the new shrine, it looks a bit too factory-made, all clean and shiny.
Still,I'm going to look for this shrine in June; and I've wanted to find this campo since reading Miss Garnett's Angel. I've heard the church is rarely open, but I would still like to see it.
Posted by sandrac | February 9, 2011 10:08 PM
Posted on February 9, 2011 22:08
Annie,
You certainly belong to Venice! You are noticing subtle changes in city that hardly ever changes. Thanks for sharing.
Both are beautiful, but I think the new shrine looks quite at home.
Posted by Daniel | February 9, 2011 11:33 PM
Posted on February 9, 2011 23:33
Well said, Yvonne
Posted by Andrew | February 10, 2011 3:16 AM
Posted on February 10, 2011 03:16
Thanks for your comments everyone.
Sandra, the church was closed for restoration for several years but it's reopen and looks fantastic inside. Here are the hours:
8-12, 3-5 Mon-Sat
9-12 Sunday
Posted by Annie | February 10, 2011 8:28 AM
Posted on February 10, 2011 08:28
Hi Annie, I also agree with what Yvonne said. It's so wonderful that you preserved the original shrine with your photos. The new shrine is very beautiful too, but it's a strange feeling to see something very special change so much.
Thanks so much for sharing your photos.
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | February 10, 2011 8:39 AM
Posted on February 10, 2011 08:39
I also think the old one had more charm, but it was in very bad shape... But what they did to the wall is a bit strange? I like the uncovered bricks. I would have prefered a nice metal gate door instead of the plexiglass... Thanks for showing us the before and after!
Posted by AnnaLivia | February 10, 2011 3:37 PM
Posted on February 10, 2011 15:37
Kathy, thanks. It WAS a strange feeling... I'll be curious to see how the new one looks once it's settled in and been rained on a few times.
AnnaLivia, I think the red/orange stucco around the shrine looks strange too but love the bricks peeking through. So many of the shrines have metal gates - they are beautiful but make it hard to see (and photograph!) the icon inside. But plexiglass glare can be challenging to photograph too, plus sometimes it gets foggy!
Posted by Annie | February 10, 2011 6:24 PM
Posted on February 10, 2011 18:24
Thanks very much, Annie, for the information about the church Angelo Raffaele. I'm so glad to hear that it's open again; I'd love to see it. And it must be relatively close to "our" B+B!
Posted by sandrac | February 10, 2011 9:27 PM
Posted on February 10, 2011 21:27
It's sad that the old shrine is gone. For me, it looked better than the new one.
I have an antique wood carving of San Antonio. It was a wedding gift from a family friend.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Posted by Liz | February 11, 2011 1:04 PM
Posted on February 11, 2011 13:04
I would rather see the old shrine but I understand that people living there might want a new one. I totally understand your saying you drew a blank on the photohunters theme this week. I've been doing that a lot lately and am tempted to skip it. I hope you have a great weekend.
Posted by Carver | February 11, 2011 1:41 PM
Posted on February 11, 2011 13:41
Hi Annie,
I just noticed I took a picture of this shrine in September 2009: no plexiglass!
Have a nice weekend!
Posted by AnnaLivia | February 11, 2011 8:02 PM
Posted on February 11, 2011 20:02