BASILICA SANTI GIOVANNI E PAOLO
A remarkable Dominican church in Venice, one of the largest in Europe and the most ornate in the Serenissima.
Fondly called "Zanipolo" by the Venetians, this Dominican church (13th-14th centuries) is one of the largest in Europe and one of the most ornate in the Serenissima The columns of its imposing façade, with a portal decorated with Byzantine reliefs attributed to Bartolomeo Bon, belonged to an ancient church in Torcello. The four reliefs that surround the portal are funeral urns, those on the far left being those of Jacopo and Lorenzo Tiepolo. A rose window decorated with Murano glass and the three pinnacles housing the statues of St. Peter, St. Dominic and St. Thomas Aquinas adorn the top of the façade. The church houses several tombs of Venetian doges, including that of Doge Pietro Mocenigo, made by Pietro Lombardo (1481). Further on, on the left side, you can admire the chapel of St. Dominic with its ceiling decorated with a fresco by Piazzetta. This chapel houses a relic of St. Catherine. The baroque high altar is the work of Baldassarre Longhena. Continuing to the left of the high altar, you will be struck by the splendor of the Rosario Chapel, decorated with paintings by Veronese, including theAdoration of the Shepherds. On leaving the chapel, don't miss the Christ Carrying the Cross by Vivarini in the sacristy. Finally, before leaving the church and if you are not held up by a classical concert, notice the tomb of Doge Nicolò Marcello, a Renaissance work by Pietro Lombardo.
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