The ' (English: "Church of the Angel Raphael") is a church in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, located in the

Dorsoduro Dorsoduro is one of the six sestieri of Venice, in northern Italy. Dorsoduro includes the highest land areas of the city and also Giudecca island and Isola Sacca Fisola. Its name derives from the Italian for "hard ridge", due to its comparati ...

sestiere A (plural: ) is a subdivision of certain Italian towns and cities. The word is from (‘sixth’), so it is thus used only for towns divided into six districts. The best-known example is the ''sestieri'' of Venice, but Ascoli Piceno, Genoa, M ...

''. San Raffaele Arcangelo church is one of the only two churches in

that are possible to walk all around. It is located in

neighbourhood, close to San Basilio water bus stop.

History

According to tradition, this church was one of the eight churches founded in Venice by St Magnus of Oderzo. The church suffered fires in 889, 1106 and 1149, each time being rebuilt. At the beginning of the 17th century the edifice was in poor condition, and was therefore demolished and rebuilt. Works were finished in 1743–49. The church plan is a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

, with the façade facing a minor canal named after the church, ''rio dell'Angelo Raffaele''. The interior houses sculptures by Sebastiano Mariani and

Michelangelo Morlaiter Michelangelo Morlaiter (Venice, 23 December 1729 – 1806) was an Italian painter, active mainly in Venice. He was one of the founding members and professor of the '' Accademia di Scoltura, Pittura, ed Architettura Civile'' in Venice in 1766. His ...

. Among the statues is one of the Archangel Raphael leading a boy with a fish; the archangel was a

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of fishermen. The center ceiling of the nave and the Baptistry has a decoration by

Francesco Fontebasso ''Allegory of Faith'' (v.1750) San Zanipolo Venice Francesco Fontebasso (4 October 1707 – 31 May 1769) was an Italian painter of the late- Baroque or Rococo period of Venice. He first apprenticed with Sebastiano Ricci, but was strongly influ ...

. The present organ was built in 1821 by the brothers Antonio and Agostino Callido, son of the more famous organ maker, Gaetano Callido. It was restored by Giacomo Bazzani and his sons in 1848, and more recently by the Tamburini family. This small church is in a distant corner of Venice; it is best known for the painted organ doors depicting the '' Story of Tobias'', attributed to the late 18th century ''vedutista''

Gianantonio Guardi Giovanni Antonio Guardi (1699 – 23 January 1760), also known as Gianantonio Guardi, was an Italian painter and nobleman. Guardi was one of the founders of the Venetian Academy in 1756. Biography He was born in Vienna into a family of nob ...

. While Guardi is also known for his misty lagoon vistas of Venice, in this religious painting the scene explodes with scintillating brushstrokes. It is a parting demonstration that the Venetian school still had a flash of originality. The ' (touch painting) world of these paintings exists in a world where clouds and bodies are feathered with color. A last firework of paint dabbed just a few decades before the real blasts of Napoleonic grapeshot were heard by the last Doge. Additional works in the church include: *''Assumption of the Virgin'' by

Andrea Vicentino Andrea Vicentino (c. 1542 – 1617) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period. He was a pupil of the painter Giovanni Battista Maganza. Born in Vicenza, he was also known as ''Andrea Michieli'' or ''Michelli''. He move ...

(first altar on right) *''St Francis receives the Stigmata'' by

Palma il Giovane Iacopo Negretti (1548/50 – 14 October 1628), best known as Jacopo or Giacomo Palma il Giovane or simply Palma Giovane ("Young Palma"), was an Italian painter from Venice and a notable exponent of the Venetian school. After Tintoretto's death ...

(second altar on right) *''Last Supper'' by Andrea del Friso *''Last Supper'' by

Bonifacio Veronese Bonifacio Veronese, birth name: Bonifacio de' PitatiAlso known as Bonifazio Veneziano (1487 – 19 October 1553) was an Italian Renaissance painter who was active in the Venetian Republic. His work had an important influence on the younger ge ...

*''St Alvise Bishop with Saints Sebastian, Jerome, and John the Evangelist'' by

*''The Centurion before Christ'' by Andrea del Friso *''St Helena finds the True Cross'' by

Giovanni Battista Zelotti Giovanni Battista Zelotti (; 1526 – 28 August 1578) was an Italian painter of the late Renaissance, active in Venice and her mainland territories. He appears to have been born in Verona, then part of the Venetian mainland, and trained wit ...

Exterior

Église_dell'Angelo_Raffaele.jpg, Église dell'Angelo Raffaele - Campo dietro il Cimitero.jpg, Venice Raffaele 003.JPG, Statues of Tobias and Raffaele over entrance.

Interior

Église dell'Angelo Raffaele(intérieur).jpg, Église dell'Angelo Raffaele Autel gauche.jpg, Église dell'Angelo Raffaele - Chaire.jpg, Église dell'Angelo Raffaele - Chapelle de Saint Antoine de Padoue.jpg, Chapel of St.Antony of Padua Église dell'Angelo Raffaele - Vierge de Miséridorde.jpg, Virgin of Mercy - fifteenth century Église_dell'Angelo_Raffaele(Choeur).jpg, Église_dell'Angelo_Raffaele(Plafond).jpg, Église_dell'Angelo_Raffaele(Plafond_détail).jpg, Giovanni Antonio Guardi - The Healing of Tobias's Father - WGA10896.jpg, Healing of Tobias' Father

References

The Churches of Venice : Dorsoduro : Angelo Raffaele
{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches completed in 1749 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy

Raffaele Raffaele () is an Italian given name and surname, variant of the English Raphael. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Raffaele Amato, Italian mobster *Raffaele Cutolo, Italian mobster *Raffaele Ganci, Italian mobster *Raffaele Canton ...