The Church of San Gaetano is found in the central district of

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

, and its facade was designed by the late

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

architect

Vincenzo Scamozzi Vincenzo Scamozzi (2 September 1548 – 7 August 1616) was an Italian architect and a writer on architecture, active mainly in Vicenza and Republic of Venice area in the second half of the 16th century. He was perhaps the most important figure th ...

. The church was constructed from 1574 to 1586 on an octagonal layout, based on a prior chapel at the site, under the direction of the

Theatines The Theatines officially named the Congregation of Clerics Regular ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium), abreviated CR, is a Catholic order of clerics regular of Pontifical Right for men founded by Archbishop Gian Pietro Carafa in Sept. 14, 1524. I ...

, an order founded by St Cajetan of Thiene and favored by cardinal Pietro Carafa, who became

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV, born Gian Pietro Carafa, C.R. ( la, Paulus IV; it, Paolo IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death in August 1559. While serving as pap ...

. It was built on the site of an old church dedicated to San Francesco Piccolo.

Decoration-

Padova Chiesa di San Gaetano Innen Nordost

Padova Chiesa di San Gaetano Innen Kuppel 1

The internal area is octagonal, and richly decorated by polychrome marble. The ceiling fresco depicting paradise was completed by Guido Luigi Vernansal. The interior contains a ''Madonna and Child'' by

Andrea Briosco Andrea Riccio (1532) was an Italian sculptor and occasional architect, whose real name was Andrea Briosco, but is usually known by his sobriquet meaning "curly"; he is also known as Il Riccio and Andrea Crispus ("curly" in Latin). He is mainly k ...

, originally from the church of the Umiliati. A late-16th-century altarpieces is a ''Compianto su Cristo'' by

Dario Varotari the Elder Dario Varotari the Elder (c. 1539–1596) was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect of the Renaissance. Born in Verona, he was descended from a Strasburg or Augsburg family of the name of 'Weyrotter.' He was a pupil of Paolo Veronese, and ...

. Along the nave, 17th-century canvases depict Saints with ties to Padua: including Prosdocimus, Antony, Giustina, and Daneiele; or the Theatine order: Cajetan and Andrea Avellino. In the chapel of St Cajetan are two canvases by

Pietro Damini Saint Louis, sacred, bishop of Toulouse Sant'Alvise Pietro Damini (1592–1631) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance period. He was born in Castelfranco Veneto and active in Venice. He was the pupil of the painter Giovanni Battista N ...

: a ''Transfiguration with Theatine Saints'' and a ''San Carlo Borromeo heals an ill girl''. The canvas of ''San Carlo before Clement VIII'' (1622) was painted by

Giovanni Battista Bissoni ''The mission of the Apostles '' Abbey of Santa Giustina Giovanni Battista Bissoni (1576–1636) was an Italian painter. He was born in Padua. He was first a pupil of Francesco Apollodoro, called ''Il Porcia'', a portrait painter, and afterward ...

. In the Cappella della Madonna della Purità, are canvases 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 ...

and

Alessandro Maganza Adorazione della Vergine con gli Angeli (1581) Alessandro Maganza (1556–1630) was an Italian painter of the Mannerist style, born and active in Vicenza, as well as in Venice. He likely trained with his father, Giovanni Battista Maganza, also ...

. In the ''Cappella del Santo Sepolcro'' or ''del Crocifisso'', is a depiction of the ''Flagellation of Christ'' by Vernansal and a 17th-century wooden crucifix by Agostino Tannini. In the sacristy on the west side of the church are paintings depicting the martyrdoms of ''St Simone'' (by blinding) and ''St Judas Thaddeus'' (by beating) by

. The bas-relief marble Pietà in the sacristy is by

Bartolomeo Bellano Bartolomeo Bellano, also known as Bartolomeo Vellano, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect who was born in Padua in 1437 or 1438. He was the son of a goldsmith and became a student of the sculptor Donatello, with whom he worked on m ...

and the wooden altarpiece depicting the ''Prayer in the Garden'' is by

Michele Fabris ''A philosopher, head covered'' - Fondazione Querini Stampalia Venice Michele Fabris (1644–8 July 1684) was a Baroque sculptor, born in Hungary, but mainly active in Venice and Padua. A series of busts at the Querini Stampalia Museum, previousl ...

. The adjacent 17th century monastery has been converted into a modern museum and cultural center.

Sources

Padua Tourism Agency
{{coord, 45.4083, N, 11.8817, E, source:wikidata, display=title Roman Catholic churches completed in 1586 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy

Gaetano Gaetano (anglicized ''Cajetan'') is an Italian masculine given name. It is also used as a surname. It is derived from the Latin ''Caietanus'', meaning "from ''Caieta''" (the modern Gaeta). The given name has been in use in Italy since medieval pe ...

Renaissance architecture in Padua