San Pietro di Castello ( vec, San Piero de Casteło), formerly Olivolo ( it, Olivòlo; vec, Ołivoło), is an island in the
Venetian Lagoon, 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 ...
, forming part of the
Castello 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, Mi ...
. It is linked to the main islands of Venice by two bridges.
History
The island was the site of a
castle from at least the 6th century, and it is from this that the island and the sestiere are named. In the seventh century, it became the seat of the
Bishop of Olivolo
The Diocese of Castello, originally the Diocese of Olivolo, is a former Roman Catholic diocese that was based on the city of Venice in Italy.
It was established in 774, covering the islands that are now occupied by Venice. Throughout its existen ...
, later renamed Bishop of Castello. When Castello was merged into the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice
The Patriarchate of Venice ( la, Patriarchatus Venetiarum), also sometimes called the Archdiocese of Venice, is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or patriarchal archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Venice, Italy. In 1451 the Patriarchate ...
it remained the seat of that archdiocese until 1807. The
Church of San Pietro was the seat from the ninth century, while other attractions on the island include a
campanile with a ring of bells in C, and the greenery of the
Campo San Pietro.
Gallery
File:San Pietro di Castello Facciata.jpg, Facade
File:Francesco Guardi 049.jpg, View of San Pietro di Castello by Francesco Guardi
File:Districts venice - castello.PNG, Castello Sestiere shown within Venice
References
{{Islands of the Venetian Lagoon
Islands of the Venetian Lagoon