The Campo San Polo: The Second Largest Public Square in Venice

Cafe in the Campo San Polo  © Rodion Rasputin - FOTOLIA

The Campo San Polo is located approximately one hundred metres from the junction of the Grand and San Polo Canals.

It is the second largest public square in Venice and is sometimes used as an open-air cinema during the summer months. It has in the past also hosted bullfights, dances and firework displays.

Florentine merchants first held a masked carnival in the Campo San Polo in 1497, and so inspired a tradition continued today by the many street traders who sell masks and costumes there during the carnival season.

The Campo San Polo has a curious history. It is the place where an eccentric 15th century friar, Brother Santo, chose to burn all his money in a misguided attempt to prove that wealth is mere vanity.

A hired assassin murdered the Florentine intellectual, Lorenzino de Medici, in the Campo San Polo in 1548.  Lorenzino was hiding in Venice after he had himself assassinated his former friend, the autocratic Duke of Florence, "in defence of human liberty".

Carnival masks on sale at the Campo San Polo © JCOLL - FOTOLIA

The church of San Polo is a bland 19^th century creation. The previous 15^th century church has been so extensively redeveloped that little of the original structure remains.

The interior does however contain several splendid works of art including the 14 Stations of the Cross by Giandomenico Tiepolo which is located in the Oratory.

These images are notable because their backgrounds are populated by 18^th century Venetian socialites, dressed in their finest clothes, who provide an alternative focal point to Christ and his final suffering.

By contrast, Tintoretto's depiction of the  Last Super is a routine portrayal of Christ reproaching his disciples for their lack of faith.

The San Polo is only one of three Venetian churches with a "ships-keel" ceiling, practically the only part of the former renaissance structure which was preserved during the extensive 19th century reconstruction.

The 14^th century campanile is notable for the statue, close to ground level, of two lions: one devours a serpent and the other grips a man’s head in its jaws.

The serpent is said to represent Doge Marino Faliero who attempted to declare himself the absolute ruler of the Venetian Republic in 1355. However, his intended coup d’etat failed and Faliero was duly executed after being gruesomely mutilated.

Despite being condemned to Damnatio Memoriae, and having all his portraits and busts destroyed, Faliero is  ironically one of the best remembered Doges; indeed his grisly end  has inspired a poem by Byron and a famous picture by the 19th century French artist, Delacroix. 

The Execution of Marino Faliero by Delacroix 1827, Wallace Collection

The human head, which is about to be devoured by the second lion, is said to belong to Francesco Bussone, a talented but naive mercenary, who after accepting Venetian rank and title foolishly continued to offer his services to the highest bidder.

He was caught and beheaded on 5 May 1432 after being tricked into returning to Venice.

© 2006 LACT Limited. All rights reserved.

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