Chiesa di Santa Sofia, Lendinara (Rovigo)

The Church of Santa Sofia ( it, Duomo di Lendinara) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church in the city of

Lendinara Lendinara is a ''comune'' in the province of Rovigo, Veneto, northern Italy. It is part of the historical and geographical region of Polesine. It is the birthplace of Domenico Montagnana (1680–1750), one of the world's finest violin and ce ...

, in the

Province of Rovigo The Province of Rovigo (''Provincia di Rovigo'') is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rovigo. It borders on the north with the provinces of Verona, Padua and Venice, on the south with the province of Ferrara, o ...

, region of

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, Italy.

History

The church was built in 1070 atop the ruins of a pagan temple as an oratory of the Cattaneo family. Around 1550, it became property of the Molin family, and by 1674 was in a dilapidated state. In 1760 the Molin-Minio family commissioned the architect Angelo Santini to restore the church. Refurbishment took years. The facade and bell-tower were designed by Francesco Antonio Baccari and construction also took decades (1797-1857). Originally two bell-towers were planned. The frescoes in the apse (1796) and cupola, depicting a ''Transfiguration'' in the former and a ''Triumph of the Church and the Four Doctors'' in the latter, were painted by Giorgio Anselmi. In 1938 Poloni and Casanova restored the murals. The first altar on left has a canvas of ''St Antony of Padua'' (1942) by the painter Casanova. The second altar on the left houses a ''Virgin of the Rosary and Saints'' by Giovanni Battista Albrizzi. This painting was originally the main altarpiece of the church of San Giuseppe. In the third altar on left is a canvas depicting the ''Sacred Heart of Jesus'' painted in 20th century by B. Biagetti. The fourth altar on left has a canvas depicting an ''Enthroned Virgin with Shield and Angelic Musicians'' (1511) by Domenico Mancini. Another work is an ''Enthroned Madonna and child with St Lawrences and Anthony of Padua'' (16th-century) by Francesco Bissolo; an ''Ecce Homo'' (1615) by

Domenico Fetti Domenico Fetti (also spelled Feti) (c. 1589 – 1623) was an Italian Baroque painter who had been active mainly in Rome, Mantua and Venice. Biography Born in Rome to a little-known painter, Pietro Fetti, Domenico is said to have apprenticed ...

. In the first altar on the right is a ''Madonna and Child with souls of Purgatory'' (circa 1700) by

Antonio Zanchi Antonio Zanchi (; 6 December 1631 – 12 April 1722) was an Italians, Italian painter of the Baroque, active mainly in Venice, but his prolific works can also be seen in Padova, Treviso, Rovigo, Verona, Vicenza, Loreto, Brescia, Milano, and ...

, commissioned by the Confraternity della Morte, the sponsors of the chapel. On the second altar on right is a canvas depicting the ''Descent of the Holy Spirit (circa 1765) by

Domenico Maggiotto Domenico Maggiotto or Domenico Fedeli (1713–1794) was an Italian painter and engraver of the late-Baroque period. He was one of the main pupils of Giovanni Battista Piazzetta Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (also called Giambattista Piazzetta ...

. On the 3rd altar of right is a canvas depicting ''Saints Apostles Peter and James'' (allegory of the Papacy of 1700) also by Zanchi. The main altarpiece depicts the ''Martyrdom of Santa Sofia and her daughters Faith, Hope and Charity'' (1793) by Carlo Alvise Fabris. On the walls of the presbytery , next to the busts of the Scipioni and the Cappellini, are two paintings depicting the ''Saints Augustine, Benedict, Scolastica, Clare, and Placido'' (1783) and a ''Madonna and Child in Glory with Saints Andrea Avellino, Cajetan, and Valentine'' (1787) by Agostino Ugolini. In the sacristy is a wooden scale model of the bell-tower. Also there is a canvas depicting the ''Life of St Costanzo'' (1730 ca.) by Bartolomeo Litterini, two 17th-century canvases by Pietro Vecchia, some portraits, a copy of

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...

and a poorly conserved altarpiece by Matteo dei Pitocchi.Comune of Lendinara
cathedral entry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Sofia, Lendinara 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1857 Neoclassical architecture in Veneto Roman Catholic churches in Lendinara Neoclassical church buildings in Italy