While looking through my Venice pictures I came across a church that was of special interest to my son Pablo. On our brief visit in January of 2002, he wanted to go hunting for the church that was used as a library in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We found an internet cafe where he searched for the name of the church and after some dashing around the city we came upon it in a square. The church of San Barnaba was closed when we arrived, so we missed seeing the interior but at least we were successful in finding it. After walking around the campo, my son posed in front of the church to show off to all of his friends back home. We then hurried to the train station just in time to catch our train to Florence.
Comments (5)
Great pictures and what fun for your son! :)
Posted by Leslie | May 10, 2008 5:25 PM
Posted on May 10, 2008 17:25
Nice! I haven't seen that Indiana Jones movie yet but I need to rent it. I have been inside the church - it's deconsecrated now and when I went in, it was being used for a exhibit about Leonardo da Vinci's inventions. But it still looks like a church inside, with altarpieces and art etc.
I'm really enjoying your blog!
Posted by Annie | May 10, 2008 8:27 PM
Posted on May 10, 2008 20:27
Annie,
I was waiting for your visit to learn a bit about this church because I searched on the Web and found very little information on it. I also searched your blog in case you had already written about San Barnaba.
This church seems to be on the list of must-sees of every Indiana Jones' fans who are visiting Venice.
I also enjoy your blog and learning the history and the unusual stories of the Venetian churches.
Posted by María I. | May 10, 2008 9:11 PM
Posted on May 10, 2008 21:11
Thanks Maria!
I looked it up and one thing that's interesting about this church is that the bell tower is about 500 years older than the church itself, which was rebuilt for the third time in 1749. But the bell tower dates back to the 13th century (and is one of the oldest in Venice).
Posted by Annie | May 12, 2008 9:22 AM
Posted on May 12, 2008 09:22
I remember reading that the original church, built by a wealthy Venetian family, was destroyed by a fire and then rebuilt by the parishioners. The bell tower must be from the second reconstruction.
Thank you, Annie for taking the time to post information on Venice's churches and shrines. It's a wonderful learning experience.
Posted by María I. | May 13, 2008 11:49 AM
Posted on May 13, 2008 11:49