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Venice Sestriere Cannaregio
Church of Santa Maria di Nazareth o dei Carmelitani Scalzi (Barefoot Carmelites)
This church was built in 1660 from a design by Baldassarre Longhena. The
grandiose façade was created by Giuseppe Sardi. After an Austrian bomb exploded
on 27 October 1915, the frescoed vault by Tiepolo collapsed. Today, only a few
fragments remain in the Galleries of the Accademia di Belle Arti. In 1934 the
ceiling was replaced, and it was adorned with a fresco by Ettore Tito. The first
chapel of the right-hand nave has a vault frescoed by G.B.Tiepolo.
Built in the 17th century on the initiative of the
Barefooted Carmelites on a project by Baldassarre Longhena.
A masterly example of baroque art where a work by G. B. Tiepolo is still visible
on the vault of the left aisle that had
originally also frescoed the ceiling. Now only the sketch remains of Tiepolo’s
fresco and a few fragments kept in the
Accademia Gallery.
The facade, a work by Giuseppe Sardi, is the only one in
Venice made of Carrara marble.
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Square and Church of San Geremia
The church houses the relics of Saint Lucy. The relics were previously housed in
the church of Santa Lucia which has since been demolished.
Palazzo Labia
This palace was built at the end of the seventeenth century by the Labias, a
family of rich Catalan merchants. The inside is decorated with frescoes by
Tiepolo. It is now headquarters of the Italian State Television.
A sumptuous palace commissioned by the wealthy Labia family in the 18th century
with a splendid cycle of frescoes by G.B. Tiepolo. The main salon where Tiepolo
painted scenes of the life of Cleopatra is particularly interesting: in one of
these, a self-portrait by the great painter.
Info >>Church of San Giobbe (1450-70)
This church has a Renaissance portal by Pietro Lombardo. Inside it is decorated
with the works of Tuscan artists such as Luca della Robbia.
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Ghetto
The term 'ghetto' derives from the foundries that were found in the area in
which the metal was 'gettato' or smelted. In 1509 it became the part of the city
that was reserved for the Jews. They built their 'schole' or synagogues here.
the first one was the Schola Tedesca (German Synagogue), which was built in
1528. It was followed by the Schola Canton and the Schola Italiana. The Schola
Spagnola was rebuilt by Baldassarre Longhena. The German synagogue houses the
museum of Jewish art
and contains many fine religious exhibits.
The Ghetto was instituted by the Venetian Republic in
1516 as a compulsory place of residence for Jews. The word itself, ghetto, seems
to have originated in Venice: the term derives from the contortion of the work
geto (‘to throw’ as a synonym for ‘to cast’, referring to the foundries that
were located here in early times.
Within the Ghetto stand the Synagogues, also called Scole - distinguished by
their cupolas - and the Jewish Museum, which is accessed through Ghetto Nuovo;
it is a small but very rich museum with many exemplars of the goldsmith’s and
textile arts dating from between the 16th and 19th century, evidence of the
Jewish traditions.
The campo or square is also interesting for the height of its buildings that are
some of the highest in the city.
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Photo (c) James Lawson
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Mastelli Palace
A very picturesque area with the near Campo dei Mori and palazzo Mastelli, also
known as palazzo del Cammello because of the stone bas-relief on the façade
overlooking the canal. The thirteenth century statues at the corners of the
building commemorate three Arab merchants brothers known as Mastelli.
Church of the Madonna dell'Orto
Built towards the middle of the fourteenth century and first dedicated to Saint
Christopher , it was later dedicated to the Virgin Mary after miraculously
finding a statue of the Virgin in a nearby garden. The church is a beautiful
example of Venetian Gothic and hosts works by Tintoretto and Cima da Conegliano.
Flanked by the old Scuola dei Mercanti, this monumental
church stands on the far northern edge of the Sestiere of Cannaregio in a
churchyard that still maintains its original paving of brick laid out in a
herring-bone pattern within Istrian stone divisions. Originally built in the
14th century, the structure was heavily modified in the 15th and owes its name
to a miraculous statue of the Virgin and Child - now in the San Mauro Chapel -
which was found in a nearby garden (orto); in fact, the church is officially
dedicated to St. Christopher Martyr.
The magnificent brick facade is one of the most interesting in Venice, tracing
as it does the transitions from Romanesque to Gothic and from Gothic to
Renaissance. The interior of a single nave with two aisles contains numerous
works of great importance; in particular, some masterpieces by Jacopo Robusti
(better known as Tintoretto), who lived nearby (n.3399 on Fondamenta dei Mori)
and was buried here, in the apsidal chapel on the right.
Amongst his works one should undoubtedly mention the solemn Titian
altarpiece of The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple (which now hangs over
the doorway in the San Mauro Chapel) and the colossal works in the presbytery:
The Adoration of the Golden Calf, The Last Judgment and The Virtues (1562-64).
The other noteworthy works in the church include the fine complex of paintings
in the Contarini Chapel (fourth chapel in the north aisle), where you can see
Cima da Conegliano's St. John the Baptist and Saints (first altar on the right).
The tabernacle in the fine Renaissance chapel dedicated to the Valier family
used to contain a small Giovanni Bellini panel painting of The Madonna and Child
(1480), which unfortunately has yet to be recovered after its theft in march
1993.
Info >> Palazzo Vendramin Calergi
A fine example of Renaissance architecture. It was commissioned by the Loredans
who inscribed the words 'Non nobis Domine' ('Not for our sake, Lord'), at the
base of the façade. This is taken from the first verse of a psalm and was
already used by the Knights Templars as a symbol of humility. The palazzo later
came into the possession of the Calergi family and through marriage into the
possession of the Vendramin, which is why it has a double name. Wagner died
there in 1883.
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Ca' d'Oro
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Ca' d'Oro
Ca' d'oro was built by Marino Contarini in 1441, who used the best stonemasons of his
time. It is considered the most striking example of Venetian Gothic. It has a
façade with polychrome marble molding and certain elements were overlaid with
gold, which was why it was called the ca' d'Oro.
The palace at one point became
the property of Baron Giorgio Franchetti who donated it to the State in 1916 and
is now a museum, with works by Mantegna, paintings of Tuscan school and a
beautiful collection of Renaissance bronzes.
An unusually beautiful example of typical 15th century
Gothic design, with its fanciful architect motives, wealth of marbles and the
splendor of its gold and color, now all disappeared, which drew inspiration
from eastern rather than from northern art.
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It is probable that, in the original idea, beginning with the traditional type of
Venetian palace, the whole building should have been made with a central body
flanked by two smaller side pieces, but only the right side was built, through
lack of space.
It was constructed between 1421 and 1440, by Marin Contarini, on the site of a
previous house, that once belonged to the Zeno family. This explains why some of
the Veneto-byzantine style ornaments belong to the 13th century.
The work of this splendid architect creation, crowned with a typical happily
planned crenellation, was carried out by the Lombard and Venetian stone-masons,
supervised by Matteo Raverti and the Bons.
Today, minus the additions and irreverent transformations of the architect
Meduna (middle of the 19th century) and with the little "Saracen" windows of the
mezzanine floor, and the top frieze, it has re-aquired all the harmony of its
original aspect.
It became the property of the State as the result of a munificent gift on the
part of Baron Giorgio Franchetti.
Important group of sculptures, bronzes, paintings and Flemish and Dutch art.
Works by Tintoretto, Titian, Van Dyck, Alessandro Vittoria.
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Oratorio dei Crociferi
This is a treasure trove of works by Palma il Giovane depicting the history of
the religious order of the Crociferi, which was founded in the thirteenth
century and suppressed in the seventeenth century.
An interesting construction adjoining the Church of the
Jesuits, the Oratory of the Cross-bearers dating from the 13th century houses a
rich cycle of paintings by J. Palma il Giovane depicting some of the
vicissitudes of the Order of the Cross-bearers.
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Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Built around 1482 from a design by Pietro Lombardo. It is a fine example of
Reinassance architecture, decorated with polychrome marble and bas-reliefs of
sirens and tritons , which are unusual decorations for a church. It still has
the small altar-piece painted by Nicolò di Pietro.
A very beautiful church built between 1481 and 1489 on
a plan by Pietro Lombardo, Our Lady of Miracles astonishes especially because of
its elegant facade clad in various kinds of marble that, it is said, seem to be
from what was left over after the building of the Basilica of St Mark.
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Japanese Gondola
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Courtesy of
Venezia Tourist Board
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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