This is a fascinating mystery. Far from San Marco, on a building in a quiet residential section of Giudecca, is this relief which shows an image of the Ponte della Paglia shrine, Madonna of the Gondoliers, along with the prow of a gondola. As far as I know, it's the only case where a Venetian shrine is honored in a reproduction like this.
I wonder if this is or was the home of a devout gondolier. Another theory (thanks Bert!) is that this relief used to be inside a shrine but is now on its own. In "The World of Venice," Jan Morris mentions a votive shrine that was erected on Giudecca by gondoliers to thank Our Lady for not letting the new-fangled vaporetto drive them out of business.
You can find this relief at Dorsoduro/Giudecca 383, Fondamenta de la Palada.
Comments (2)
Hi Annie, that's a wonderful looking relief. I love a good mystery and it's fascinating to learn about the different theories.
Thanks so much for sharing your photos and interesting read. Venice just continues to intrigue...
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | June 28, 2011 9:48 PM
Posted on June 28, 2011 21:48
That is a neat mystery to ponder. I can't imagine thta anything will drive the gondoleri out of business!
Posted by Jerry | June 30, 2011 6:53 AM
Posted on June 30, 2011 06:53