Giudecca
© Christian Riedel - FOTOLIA
Giudecca is a long narrow
island shaped like a fishbone located immediately to the south of
Venice. It may have been named after the Jews ("guidei") who settled
there during the Middle Ages or the condemned nobles (“giudicati”) who
were banished there during the ninth century.
Giudecca has been culturally distinct from Venice for much of its
history and many of its inhabitants still prefer to think of themselves
as Giudecchini rather than Venetians.
The island once hosted seven monasteries which provided sanctuary to
fugitives, including Michelangelo, who stayed on Giudecca after being
banished from Florence in 1529.
Giudecca later became popular with many Venetian merchants who kept
country retreats on the island.
During the 18th century, a large number of landscaped gardens were
planted on the island. Many were hired out for parties which were
sometimes so scandalous that the island developed a reputation for
drunkenness and orgies.
Giudecca was heavily industrialised in the late 19th century when its
gardens, and all but two of its monasteries, were replaced by narrow
streets, back-to-back housing and numerous factories which manufactured
a wide range of goods from pianos to fireworks.
Most of these factories have now closed and large parts of Giudecca are
shabby and run-down.
Photo by Necrothesp, 15
May 2004 GNU Free Documentation Licence, Version 1.2.
Giudecca is famous
for the grand Palladian churches which dominate the skyline of its
northern shore.
The grandest of these churches is the Most Holy Redeemer which was
constructed in thanksgiving for the island's deliverance from the plague
which killed approximately one-third of Venice's inhabitants in 1576.
A statue of the Redeemer crowns the huge dome of this church while the
main feature of its façade is the arrangement of triangular pediments
which reinforces its classical symmetry. This typically Palladian device
was copied throughout Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries.
The Franciscan friars who commissioned the church requested an
inspirational but modest structure; however, the only concession they
extracted from Palladio was the substitution of white Istrian stone for
marble.
The principal entrance to the church is by a grand stairway overlooked
by life-size statues of Saint Mark and Saint Francis. The interior is
faced with grey brick and stucco; its long single nave is crossed
directly under the cupola.
On the third Sunday in July, a pontoon is laid across the narrow stretch
of water between Venice's Zattere waterfront and the island of Giudecca
so that a religious procession may cross to the Church of the Most Holy
Redeemer in commemoration of the city's redemption from the plague.
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Giudecca possesses another
spectacular Palladian creation, the Santa Maria della Presentazione,
which is also known as the spinster's church (zitelle) since its convent
once trained single women in the art of lacemaking.
Giudecca's third church, the Santa Eufenia, is essentially a medieval
creation in the Veneto-Byzantine style; the Doric porch was added in
1597 and the interior was extensively redecorated during the 18th
century.
The Santa Eufenia possesses two exquisite 15th century paintings by
Bartomoleo Vivarini: the altarpiece depicting San Rocco, and the Angel,
Virgin and Child above the altar.
The Rio del Ponte Lungo, which dissects Giudecca's eastern side,
provides a useful short-cut between Venice and the Lido. Anyone who
stays on the Lido, and takes the vaporetto to the Piazza San Marco will
probably travel through Giudecca.
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