Churches in Venice

There are 32 churches in this sestiere; most of them are Catholic but there are also an Evangelical Lutheran church and five synagogues.

So many great ones here, including the most beautiful Gothic church in town (Madonna dell’Orto), the most beautiful small church in the world (Santa Maria dei Miracoli), and the most crazy over-the-top Baroque church in the universe (Gesuiti).

There are Tintorettos galore in this sestiere (his Saint Agnes altarpiece from Madonna dell’Orto is on the left) as well as the most famous relic in Venice (the body of Saint Lucy in San Geremia).

Chorus Pass churches in this sestiere are San Giobbe, Miracoli, Madonna dell’Orto, and Sant’Alvise.

This is the most famous of a number of churches in Venice that have or had legendary miracle-working paintings, icons, or sculptures of the Madonna. Santa Maria dei Miracoli is named for and was built to house its painting with legendary healing power.

When friends ask me for recommendations about what to see/do in Venice, I vary my answers depending on how long they’re going to be there and what they’re interested in. I realize that not everyone wants to go tromping around Venice looking for churches that probably won’t even be open when they get there! So my short list of “must-see” churches includes only three of them, and Miracoli is on that list (along with the Basilica di San Marco and the Frari).

Even people with no interest in churches should visit this one – for one, because they’ve never seen anything like it, and also because finding it will be an adventure. It took me a long time to find it the first time. There’s no view from afar of this church – you search for it, map in hand, and then all of sudden, it’s right there in front of you, and it’s so surprising and perfect and beautiful. It takes my breath away every time I see it.

Yesterday I wrote about finding fossils in the floor of San Giacomo dall’ Orio.
That was the first church where I saw one and I’ve since spotted them in several other churches. I don’t always remember to look for them (sometimes I get distracted by the art and architecture!) but when I do remember, I almost always find at least one. They are usually embedded in the red marble and look like big swirly shrimp. They are so fascinating to me.

In December, I found fossils in San Canciano (the one in the photo is from that church), Santa Maria Formosa, San Francesco della Vigna, and even in the Salute. I wonder if marble with a fossil in it was more valuable, back in the days when they were building these churches?

There’s just something so satisfying about finding them. It’s the same feeling I’d get as a kid when we’d look for four-leaf clovers out in the yard - it feels lucky! And yes, I realize that I probably look like a dork walking around a magnificent church staring at the floor. :)

Another part of it is that these churches all seem so ancient and holy to me, and they make me think about time (and long passages of time), and then the fossils connect it all back even further to pre-history.

Of course, “ancient” is relative….everything in Venice seems so old to me but I’m coming from the American perspective. Here in the USA, a church or building that’s 100 years old is “historic” while a church the same age in Italy would be considered “modern.” But the fossils are ancient no matter what.

Don’t let the nondescript exterior fool you, this is one of the strangest churches in Venice. Strange in a good way though – it was well worth the many tries it took to finally get inside this one.

San Marziale dates back to the 9th century, though it’s been rebuilt a couple of times since then. It was high on my wish list since it’s one of a dozen or so churches in Venice with a legend about a miracle-working Madonna, this one a wooden statue carved from a tree trunk. The story is that she came to Venice on an unmanned boat, guided there by her own power with the help of angels, and she began working miracles after her arrival, healing a blind child among others.

I also really wanted to see the high altar. My hero J.G. Links (Venice for Pleasure) seldom recommends that his readers go inside any buildings, churches or otherwise, but about this one he wrote, “San Marziale…if open, demands a moment to glance at the strange scene under the altar, Venetian baroque at its most charming and idiotic.”

Hugh Honour (Companion Guide to Venice) was more specific: “The high altar which looks like a celestial rock garden with St. Jerome and two friends (Faith and Charity) picnicking under a table is one of the more endearing if most preposterous baroque fantasies in Venice.”

The church has some decent art too including a Tintoretto and four acclaimed ceiling paintings by Sebastiano Ricci, and I’d been trying to find it open for several years with no luck. I love these churches but I also love the thrill of the hunt. I don’t get disappointed when they’re closed (and they often are), but I DO get excited when I find an elusive one open and finally one night in December, this one was.

I went in and the place was largely dark and smelled like flowers. No one else was there. None of the church’s great art was lit, and there were no light boxes. Only two altars had lights on and sure enough, they were the high altar with the crazy tableau and the altar with the miracle-working Madonna.

The most beautiful gothic church in town with one of the loveliest facades in Venice. Of all the many red brick-fronted churches, this one is special with its white stone tracery, trim, and sculpture.The church was originally named for the patron saint of travelers and gondoliers, San Cristoforo Martire, but early in its history, the church came into possession of a miracle-working statue of the Madonna and Child, and the name changed.

There are a couple of different stories about this statue. One is the legend that the statue flew to Venice on its own power and landed in a nearby orchard. The other is that the statue was commissioned from sculptor Giovanni de Santi by another church (Santa Maria Formosa) which then rejected it after its completion. The scorned artist placed it in his garden where it began working miracles and attracting crowds of pilgrims. The statue was moved onto the high altar of this church which then became known as Madonna dell’Orto (Our Lady of the Garden or Orchard) or Madonna Odorosa (The Sweet-Smelling Madonna). The statue attracted many visitors whose financial donations probably helped the church to acquire its impressive collection of art.

I love this church. I should probably confess that I loved Elvis’ Graceland too. It’s not an off-the-wall comparison, believe it or not. Both places are completely unique and kinda crazy because of their over-the-top decor.

J.G. Links (Venice for Pleasure) noted that, “Nineteenth-century guidebook writers found the Gesuiti inexpressibly vulgar but taste changes and we may well find its interior witty and entertaining…” I don’t think it’s an either/or, really. Graceland is pretty vulgar but that’s what makes it entertaining!

But I don’t think the Gesuiti is vulgar at all. Despite all the excess, it works. After you recover from the sheer volume of decoration and look at the church as a whole, you might see a beautiful and harmonious space. Or you might think it’s the tackiest church you’ve ever seen. Either way, it’s a fun church to visit. Elvis would have loved it too.

This is the church with all the marble that looks like brocade fabric - I wrote about this one a few weeks ago here. This late 19th century colorized photo of the interior looks pretty cool.

Also worth checking out on Venice Daily Photo is this gorgeous aerial photo of the Basilica.

And Jill (softdrink) has some wonderful photos of churches in South Carolina and Georgia on her blog.

A new addition to my birdfeeder list except it's not a bird. When I got up this morning and went in the kitchen to make coffee, I looked out the window and saw an enormous possum in my feeder! What freaky creatures they are - I'd never seen one so up-close.