San Giovanni in Bragora is a church in Venice

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...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, located in the sestiere

Sestiere

A sestiere is a subdivision of certain Italian towns and cities. The word is from sesto, or sixth; and is thus used only for towns divided into six districts. The best-known example are the sestieri of Venice, but Ascoli Piceno, Genoa, Milan and Rapallo, for example, were also divided into sestieri...

of Castello.

It was founded in the early 8th century, allegedly by St. Magnus

Magnus of Oderzo

Saint Magnus of Oderzo was a 7th century Italian saint who is notable for founding some of the earliest churches in Venice. He was Bishop of Oderzo and travelled to Venice where he founded the churches of Santi Apostoli, San Pietro di Castello, Santa Maria Formosa, Santa Guistina, San Giovanni in...

 of Oderzo

Oderzo

Oderzo is a town and comune in the province of Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy.It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about 66 km to the northeast of Venice...

; in the following century, under doge Pietro III Candiano

Pietro III Candiano

Pietro III Candiano was the Doge of Venice from 942 until 959. In 948 he led a fleet of 33 Galleys to punish the Dalmatian pirates - Narentines - for repeatedly raiding across the Adriatic Sea...

, it was rebuilt to house the alleged relics of St. John the Baptist, to whom it is entitled, and again in 1178. Pietro Barbo, future Pope Paul II

Pope Paul II

Pope Paul II , born Pietro Barbo, was pope from 1464 until his death in 1471.- Early life :He was born in Venice, and was a nephew of Pope Eugene IV , through his mother. His adoption of the spiritual career, after having been trained as a merchant, was prompted by his uncle's election as pope...

, and Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...

 were baptised in the church.

The current appearance dates from the last renovation (1475-1505), which kept the basilica

Basilica

The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...

 plan but added a brickwork façade in local late-Gothic

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

 style, and a façade divided into three sections.

The interior houses works by Cima da Conegliano

Cima da Conegliano

Giovanni 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...

 and Alvise Vivarini

Alvise Vivarini

Alvise 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...

 and has a trussed ceiling.

The origin of the term Bragora is unclear. It could derive from the Greek agorà (square), referring to the campo facing the church, or from the dialect bragora ("market") or bragolare ("fishing").

It is the church where Antonio Vivaldi was baptised in 1641. It is thought his family lived close to the church at the time.