BASILICA DEI SANTI MARIA E DONATO
A beautiful church, imposing and monumental, in Murano.
The Basilica dei Santi Maria, founded in the 6th century, was later remodeled in the 12th and 19th centuries. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it was associated with San Donato in the 12th century, when the relics of this saint were brought here with the bones of the "dragon" with which he would have triumphed. The remarkable façade of the building faces a canal. It has an imposing and monumental look, thanks to its facing made of red bricks and Istrian stones. Observe the fine details, the polychromy of the materials. The neo-Romanesque ensemble with Byzantine influences is surprising. Take a tour of the church. Its apse is a semi-circular masterpiece made of venetian-Byzantine columns and arcades. It is composed of two rows of arches separated by gemeled white marble columns with capitals with foliage and palmettes. The interior of the site is also a must-see. It is divided into two rows of five columns topped with Venetian-Byzantine capitals. The vault and the floor are decorated with polychrome mosaics representing figures of fantastic animals but also, eagles, peacocks and fish, as well as geometric and floral patterns. Each of these elements has forged the inspiration of contemporary glass artists. At the same time, the mosaic of the Golden Virgin, a 12th century work, is integrated into the golden light of the apse. On the left side, one can admire a wooden altarpiece attributed to Paolo Veneziano.
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