Home San Michele The Lido Giudecca Burano Murano Torcello
The Island of San Giorgio
The island of San Giorgio
is located approximately five hundred metres to the south of the Riva
degli Schiavoni. It faces the entrance to the Grand Canal and the San
Marco Piazzetta. The island of Giudecca, from which it is separated by a
narrow channel, lies immediately to its west.
The island, which is barely one square kilometre in size, is occupied by
the church of San Giorgio Maggiore and a former Benedictine monastery.
The church and Benedictine monastery were first established in 982 AD.
The monastery became a popular pilgrim destination after the bones of
Saint Stephanus were brought there from Constantinople in 1109 AD.
The church is dedicated to both Saint George and Saint Stephanus. A
festival is held on the island on 26th December, the latter's saint's
day.
By 1565 the church was urgently in need of repair and the monks
commissioned Andrea Palladio to rebuild it. Although Palladio designed
the new church he died in 1580, some thirty years before work was
completed.
The external walls and dome are constructed from red-brick with some
occasional marble facing. However, the facade is completely composed of
Istrian marble. Palladio, one of the great renaissance architects, was
inspired by the Parthenon and other Greek temples. He wished to unify
the three-naves of the church in a single harmonious structure.
© bigfoot - FOTOLIA
The facade consists
of four massive half-columns mounted on pedestals which support a square
tablet over which the pediment, topped by a marble statue of Christ, was
constructed. The statue of Christ is flanked by marbles of Saints George
and Stephanus.
Palladio incorporates the pitched roof of the church by repeating the
angles of the triangular pediment on either side of the portal.
The church is laid out in the form of a cross. The dome is located above
the intersection of the cross. The transepts are semi-circular and the
presbytery with monk's choir is divided from the nave by a colonnade.
The grand organ, framed by Corinthinian columns, is incorporated within
the colonnade.
The interior is brightly lit by the nave and presbytery windows. The
walls and ceiling are plastered white. The main architectural features
such as the pillars and capitals are light grey. The only splash of
colour is provided by the marble flooring on which the font stands.
The altar was decorated by Jacopo Tintoretto. The church also possesses
a "Virgin Mary with Saints" by Ricci and a "Birth of Christ" by Bassano.
The monk's choir possesses several exquisite wooden stalls made by
Gasparo Gatti in the 1590's.
The Last Supper by Tintoretto (1594), San Giorgio Maggiore
The chancel contains two
Tintoretto masterpieces: "The Last Supper" and the "Gathering of the
Manna", both painted in 1594. A third Tintoretto: "The Deposition",
completed by his son Domenico, hangs in the Chapel of the Dead.
A former Doge, Domenico Michiel (1118 - 1130), is buried in the church.
His tomb was damaged during the reconstruction work. A magnificent
replacement, located in the vicinity of the monk's choir, was added in
1640 by Baldassare Longhena.
The Benedictine monastery hosted the papal conclave which elected Pius
VII as the Pope in 1800. The conclave could not be held in Rome as it
was occupied by Napoleon at the time.
Thereafter, the monastery fell into a state of disrepair. Many treasures
were plundered by the French after the Napoleonic invasion of Venice in
1797. These included collections held by the monastic library.
The monastery experienced a revival in the mid-1950's when it became the
headquarters of the Cini Foundation. The foundation, which is dedicated
to the promotion of the arts, holds international exhibitions on the
site. It also maintains a library of rare documents. Live performances
are staged in the Teatro Verde, an open-air theatre located in adjacent
parkland.
The campanile, which is almost identical to the San Marco campanile, was
added in the 18th century.
© Kerstin Gruhn - FOTOLIA
Palladio's design creates
a visual axis from Saint Mark's Square through the Piazzeta and across
the San Marco Basin to the campanile and facade of the San Giorgio
Maggiore. The similar classical facade of the church of the Redentore on
the island of Giudecca, also designed by Palladio, is tilted towards the
San Giorgio Maggiore along a second visual axis.
The huge domed church of Santa Maria della Salute, later constructed at
the mouth of the Grand Canal by Baldassare Longhena, completes the
impressive architectural environment. Instead of being faced by the open
sea or a mundane cityscape, each of these four landmarks faces at least
one other monumental building of equal splendour.
Contact Sitemap User Conditions
© 2006-2010 LACT Limited. All rights reserved