San Nicolo dei Mendicoli

 The San Nicolo dei Mendicoli, Venice

The church of San Nicolo dei Mendicoli is located in a remote part of the Dorsoduro district, near the banks of the Canale di Fusina, far from the more popular tourist attractions of the Piazza San Marco and the Grand Canal.

The original church was constructed in the 7^th century by some of the first migrants to the Venetian Lagoon. It is undoubtedly one of the oldest churches in Venice.

The church was originally dedicated to a Serbian martyr, Saint Niceta, but after significant alterations during the 12^th century it was re-dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra.

Its exterior is modest, almost non-descript, apart from the imposing Byzantine campanile and the elegant 15^th century porch where beggars (mendicoli) used to shelter as they waited for alms..

The porch has been so extensively renovated that little of the original structure is left although the restoration has remained faithful to the original design.

The porch of the San Nicolo dei Mendicoli

The church possesses a central aisle, an apse and a vestibule at its western end. A series of 16^th century gilded wood carvings decorate the nave and a polychrome-on-wood sculpture of Saint Nicholas (1457) is displayed in the apse.

The upper walls and ceiling are decorated by frescos depicting scenes from the life of Christ painted in the 1550’s by Alvise dal Friso, a pupil of Veronese.

A statue of a lion tops a stone pillar outside the church in a pale imitation of the San Marco column in the piazetta.

The San Nicolo dei Mendicoli was important enough to receive a papal visit in 1583. However, in subsequent years the surrounding area became increasingly vulnerable to flooding. Consequently the church lost most of its congregation and many of its treasures were transferred to other religious institutions.

The San Nicolo dei Mendicoli has survived as a place of worship thanks to the efforts of the Venice in Peril Fund and the sheer determination of its priests.

The floor of the church has been raised so that it is no longer several inches below the water level of the surrounding canals. Prior to the completion of the restoration work the priests had to paddle up the nave in a wicker boat whenever the local area was flooded.

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