Basilica di San Zanipolo
Encyclopedia
The Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, known in the Venetian dialect as San Zanipolo, is a church in Venice
, northern Italy. One of the largest churches in the city, it has the status of a minor basilica
. After the 15th century the funeral services of all of Venice's doges
were held here, and twenty-five doges are buried in the church.
style, it is the principal Dominican
church of Venice, and as such was built for preaching to large congregations. It is dedicated to John and Paul
, not the Biblical Apostles of the same names, but two obscure martyrs of the Early Christian church in Rome, whose names were recorded in the 3rd century but whose legend is of a later date.
In 1246, Doge Jacopo Tiepolo
donated some swampland to the Dominicans after dreaming of a flock of white doves flying over it. The first church was demolished in 1333, when the current church was begun. It was not completed until 1430.
The vast interior contains many funerary monuments and paintings, as well as the Madonna della Pace
, a miraculous Byzantine
statue situated in its own chapel in the south aisle, and a foot of St Catherine of Siena, the church's chief relic
.
San Giovanni e Paolo is a parish church of the Vicariate of San Marco-Castello. Other churches of the parish are San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti, the Ospedaletto and the Beata Vergine Addolorata.
The Renaissance Equestrian Statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni (1483), by Andrea del Verrocchio
, is located next to the church.
The Capella del Rosario (Chapel of the Rosary), built in 1582 to commemorate the victory of Lepanto
, contained paintings by Tintoretto
, Palma the Younger, Titian
and Giovanni Bellini, among others, but they were destroyed in a fire in 1867 attributed to anti-Catholic arsonists.
_-_foto_g._dallorto_2_lug_2006_-_08.jpg)
After the 15th century the funeral services of all of Venice's doges
were held in San Giovanni e Paolo. Twenty-five doges are buried in the church, including:
Other people buried in the church include:
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, northern Italy. One of the largest churches in the city, it has the status of a minor basilica
Minor basilica
Minor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic churches. By canon law no Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom....
. After the 15th century the funeral services of all of Venice's doges
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
were held here, and twenty-five doges are buried in the church.
Description
A huge brick edifice built in the Italian GothicItalian Gothic architecture
The Gothic architecture appeared in Italy in the 12th century. Italian Gothic always maintained peculiar characteristic which differentiated its evolution from that in France, where it had originated, and in other European countries...
style, it is the principal Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
church of Venice, and as such was built for preaching to large congregations. It is dedicated to John and Paul
John and Paul
For the musical partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, see Lennon/McCartneyJohn and Paul are saints in the Roman Catholic Church. They were martyred at Rome on 26 June. They should not be confused with the famous apostles of the same name...
, not the Biblical Apostles of the same names, but two obscure martyrs of the Early Christian church in Rome, whose names were recorded in the 3rd century but whose legend is of a later date.
In 1246, Doge Jacopo Tiepolo
Jacopo Tiepolo
Jacopo Tiepolo was Doge of Venice from 6 March 1229 to 2 May 1249. Previously, served as a first Venetian duke of Crete and podestà in Constantinople ....
donated some swampland to the Dominicans after dreaming of a flock of white doves flying over it. The first church was demolished in 1333, when the current church was begun. It was not completed until 1430.
The vast interior contains many funerary monuments and paintings, as well as the Madonna della Pace
Our Lady of Peace
Our Lady of Peace, Mother of Peace, Queen of Peace or Our Lady Queen of Peace is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. She is represented in art holding a dove and an olive branch, symbols of peace. Her official memorial feast is celebrated on January 24 each year in...
, a miraculous Byzantine
Byzantine art
Byzantine art is the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Byzantine Empire from about the 5th century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453....
statue situated in its own chapel in the south aisle, and a foot of St Catherine of Siena, the church's chief relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
.
San Giovanni e Paolo is a parish church of the Vicariate of San Marco-Castello. Other churches of the parish are San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti, the Ospedaletto and the Beata Vergine Addolorata.
The Renaissance Equestrian Statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni (1483), by Andrea del Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio , born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was an Italian sculptor, goldsmith and painter who worked at the court of Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence in the early renaissance. Few paintings are attributed to him with certainty, but a number of important painters were...
, is located next to the church.
Notable artists
- Giovanni BelliniGiovanni BelliniGiovanni Bellini was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. His father was Jacopo Bellini, his brother was Gentile Bellini, and his brother-in-law was Andrea Mantegna. He is considered to have revolutionized Venetian painting, moving it...
(SS Vincent Ferrer, Christopher and Sebastian in the south aisle) - Bartolomeo BonBartolomeo BonBartolomeo Bon was an Italian sculptor and architect from Campione d'Italia.Together with his father Giovanni, he worked in Venice: they finished the decoration of the famous Gothic Ca' d'Oro and the marble door of the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Frari...
(the great west doorway) - Cima da ConeglianoCima da ConeglianoGiovanni Battista Cima, also called Cima da Conegliano was an Italian Renaissance painter.-Biography:Giovanni Battista Cima was born at Conegliano, now part of the province of Treviso, in 1459 or 1460...
or Giovanni Martini da Udine (Coronation of the Virgin in the south transept) - Piero di Niccolò Lamberti and Giovanni di Martino (tomb of Doge Tommaso Mocenigo in the north aisle)
- Gregorio LazzariniGregorio LazzariniGregorio Lazzarini was an Italian painter, mostly of religious subjects, and those from history and mythology.Born in Venice, he initially trained with the Genovese painter Francesco Rosa, Girolamo Forabosco, and with the studio of Pietro della Vecchia. He joined the painters' guild in Venice in...
(sala S. Tommaso) - Pietro LombardoPietro LombardoPietro Lombardo was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect; born in Carona , he was the father of Tullio Lombardo and Antonio Lombardo....
(tombs of Doge Pietro Mocenigo on the west wall and Doges Pasquale Malipiero and Nicolo Marcello in the north aisle; tomb of Alvise Diedo in the south aisle) - Tullio Lombardo ( and Alessandro LeopardoAlessandro LeopardoAlessandro Leopardi was a Venetian sculptor, bronze founder and architect.Leopardi was born and died at Venice. His date of birth is not known. He is first heard of in 1482 and is said to have worked at the mint...
?) (tomb of Doge Andrea Vendramin on the north wall of the choir) - Lorenzo LottoLorenzo LottoLorenzo Lotto was a Northern Italian painter draughtsman and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school. He painted mainly altarpieces, religious subjects and portraits...
(St Antonine in the south transept) - Rocco MarconiRocco MarconiRocco Marconi was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Venice and Treviso. He was a pupil of the painter Giovanni Bellini along with Vittore Belliniano and Girolamo Santacroce. His first wife died in 1511...
(Christ between SS Peter and Andrew in the south transept) - Giovanni Battista PiazzettaGiovanni Battista PiazzettaGiovanni Battista Piazzetta was an Italian rococo painter of religious subjects and genre scenes.-Biography:...
(St Dominic in Glory on the ceiling of the Capella di San Domenico) - VeronesePaolo VeronesePaolo Veronese was an Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice, famous for paintings such as The Wedding at Cana and The Feast in the House of Levi...
(The Assumption, The Annunciation and The Adoration of the Magi on the ceiling of the Capella del Rosario; The Adoration of the Shepherds in the Capella del Rosario). The famous The Feast in the House of LeviThe Feast in the House of LeviThe Feast in the House of Levi is a 1573 painting by Italian painter Paolo Veronese and one of the largest canvases of the 16th century measuring 555 x 1280 cm . It is now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia, in Venice. It was painted by Veronese for the Dominican order of SS...
, painted for the refectoryRefectoryA refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
, is now in the Accademia Gallery. - Alessandro VittoriaAlessandro VittoriaAlessandro Vittoria was an Italian Mannerist sculptor of the Venetian school, "one of the main representatives of the Venetian classical style" and rivalling Giambologna as the foremost sculptors of the late 16th century in Italy....
(St Jerome in the north aisle) - Alvise VivariniAlvise VivariniAlvise or Luigi Vivarini, , was an Italian painter, the leading Venetian artist before Giovanni Bellini. Like Bellini, he was part of a dynasty of painters. His father was Antonio Vivarini and his uncle, with whom he may have trained, was Bartolomeo Vivarini...
(Christ carrying the Cross in the sacristy) - Bartolomeo Vivarini (Three Saints in the north aisle)
The Capella del Rosario (Chapel of the Rosary), built in 1582 to commemorate the victory of Lepanto
Battle of Lepanto (1571)
The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic maritime states, decisively defeated the main fleet of the Ottoman Empire in five hours of fighting on the northern edge of the Gulf of Patras, off western Greece...
, contained paintings by Tintoretto
Tintoretto
Tintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...
, Palma the Younger, Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
and Giovanni Bellini, among others, but they were destroyed in a fire in 1867 attributed to anti-Catholic arsonists.
Funerary monuments
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
were held in San Giovanni e Paolo. Twenty-five doges are buried in the church, including:
- Jacopo TiepoloJacopo TiepoloJacopo Tiepolo was Doge of Venice from 6 March 1229 to 2 May 1249. Previously, served as a first Venetian duke of Crete and podestà in Constantinople ....
(d. 1249) - Reniero ZenoReniero Zenothumb|Coat of Arms of Reniero Zeno.Reniero Zeno was the 45th Doge of Venice, reigning from January 1, 1253 until his death in 1268.-Life:...
(d. 1268) - Lorenzo TiepoloLorenzo TiepoloLorenzo Tiepolo was Doge of Venice from 1268 until his death.Born in Venice, Lorenzo Tiepolo was the son of Doge Jacopo Tiepolo. It is a matter of debate if his second wife, Marguerite, was either the daughter of the King of Romania or of Bohemund of Brienne, ruler of Rascia...
(d. 1275) - Giovanni DolfinGiovanni DolfinGiovanni Dolfin, also known as Giovanni Delfino or Delfin was the fifty-seventh Doge of Venice, appointed on August 13, 1356. Despite his value as general, during his reign Venice lost Dalmatia. He was blind from one eye after a wound received in battle.-Biography:He was born in Venice into a...
(d. 1361) - Marco CornaroMarco CornaroMarco Cornaro , also known as Marco Corner, was the 59th doge of Venice, ruling between 1365 and 1368. His brief reign saw the loss of Venetian territory to Genoa and the Ottoman Empire, though Venice was to enjoy economic growth during this time.-Biography:The Cornaro family to which the future...
(d. 1368) - Michele MorosiniMichele MorosiniMichele Morosini was the Doge of Venice for a few months, from 10 June 1382 to his death in October the same year.Born in one of the most important Venetian families, Morosini was extremely wealthy...
(d. 1382) - Antonio VenierAntonio VenierAntonio Venier was a Doge of Venice reigning from October 1382 to his death. He was interred in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, a traditional burial place of the doges....
(d. 1400) - Michele StenoMichele StenoMichele Steno was a Venetian statesman who served as the 63rd Doge of Venice from December 1, 1400 until his death.-Biography:...
(d. 1413) - Tommaso MocenigoTommaso MocenigoTommaso Mocenigo was doge of Venice from 1414 until his death.-Biography:He commanded the crusading fleet in the expedition to Nicopolis in 1396 and also won battles against the Genoese during the War of Chioggia of 1378-1381....
(d. 1423) - Pasquale MalipieroPasquale MalipieroPasquale Malipiero, called the dux pacificus was a Venetian statesman who served as the 66th Doge of Venice from October 30, 1457 until his death. He succeeded Francesco Foscari, and was specifically elected by enemies of the Foscari family. in 1458 he signed into law a number of measures...
(d. 1462) - Nicolo MarcelloNicolo MarcelloNicolo Marcello was the 69th Doge of Venice, elected in 1473. He held office for a short period, from August 13, 1473 to December 1, 1474...
(d. 1474) - Pietro MocenigoPietro MocenigoPietro Mocenigo was doge of Venice from 1474 to 1476.He was one of the greatest Venetian admirals and revived the fortunes of his country's navy, which had fallen very low after the defeat at Negropont in 1470...
(d. 1476) - Andrea VendraminAndrea VendraminAndrea Vendramin served as Doge of Venice, 1476-78, at the height of Venetian power, the only member of the Vendramin family to do so. His mother, Maria Michiel, and his wife Regina Gradenigo, both came from Dogal families...
(d. 1478) - Giovanni MocenigoGiovanni MocenigoGiovanni Mocenigo , Pietro Mocenigo's brother, was doge of Venice from 1478 to 1485. He fought at sea against the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and on land against Ercole I d'Este, duke of Ferrara, from whom he recaptured Rovigo and the Polesine...
(d. 1485) - Alvise I MocenigoAlvise I MocenigoAlvise I Mocenigo was doge of Venice from 1570 to 1577.An admirer of antiquities, Mocenigo was a diplomat of the Republic of Venice at the court of emperor Charles V , to pope Paul IV and again at the imperial court . In 1567 he was a candidate to the election as doge, but lost to Pietro Loredan...
(d. 1577) - Sebastiano VenierSebastiano VenierSebastiano Venier was Doge of Venice from June 11, 1577 to March 3, 1578.-Biography:Venier was born in Venice around 1496. He was a son of Moisè Venier and Elena Donà, and a nephew of Zuan Francesco Venier, Co-Lord of Cerigo. He was a paternal grandson of Moisé Venier...
(d. 1578) - Bertucci Valiero (d. 1658)
- Silvestro ValieroSilvestro ValieroSilvestro Valiero or Valier was the 109th Doge of Venice, reigning from his election on February 25, 1694 until his death six years later...
(d. 1700)
Other people buried in the church include:
- Orazio Baglioni (d. 1617), general
- Gentile BelliniGentile BelliniGentile Bellini was an Italian painter. From 1474 he was the official portrait artist for the Doges of Venice.- Biography :...
(d. 1507), artist - Giovanni BelliniGiovanni BelliniGiovanni Bellini was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. His father was Jacopo Bellini, his brother was Gentile Bellini, and his brother-in-law was Andrea Mantegna. He is considered to have revolutionized Venetian painting, moving it...
(d. 1516), artist - Gianbattista Bonzi (d. 1508), senator
- Bartolomeo Bragadin (poet)
- Marco Antonio BragadinMarco Antonio BragadinMarco Antonio Bragadin, also Marcantonio Bragadin was an Italian lawyer and military officer of the Republic of Venice....
(d.1571), general, flayed alive by the Turks - the tomb contains only his skin - Jacopo Cavalli (d. 1384), general
- Alvise Diedo, commander-in-chief
- Marco Giustiniani (d. 1346), sea captain
- Pompeo Giustiniani (d. 1616), condottiere
- Palma the Younger (d. 1628), artist
- Vettor PisaniVettor PisaniVettor Pisani was a Venetian admiral.-Biography:He was in command of the Venetian fleet in 1378 during the war against the Genoese, whom he defeated off Capo d'Anzio; subsequently he recaptured Kotor, Šibenik and Rab, which had been seized by the Croatians and Hungarians, the allies of the Genoese...
(d. 1380), admiral - Niccolò OrsiniNiccolò di PitiglianoNiccolò di Pitigliano was an Italian condottiero best known as the Captain-General of the Venetians during the Most Serene Republic's war against the League of Cambrai...
, (d. 1510), commander-in-chief - Leonardo da Prato (d.1511), condottiere
- Alvise Trevisan (d. 1528)
- Edward Windsor, 3rd Baron WindsorEdward Windsor, 3rd Baron WindsorSir Edward Windsor, 3rd Baron Windsor was an English peer.His wife was Katherine de Vere , an older half-sister of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford...
(d. 1574)
See also
- List of Doges of Venice
- Lost artworksLost artworksLost artworks are original pieces of art that credible sources indicate once existed but that cannot be accounted for in museums or private collections or are known to have been destroyed deliberately or accidentally, or neglected through ignorance and lack of connoisseurship.For lost literary...
- Sant'Anastasia (Verona), a similar Dominican church