San Simeone Piccolo (also called San Simeone e Giuda) is a church in the

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 ...

of Santa Croce in

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

, 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 ...

. From across the Grand Canal it faces the railroad terminal serving as entrypoint for most visitors to the city.

History

Built in 1718–38 by Giovanni Antonio Scalfarotto, the church shows the emerging

eclecticism Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories i ...

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

. It accumulates academic architectural quotations, much like the contemporaneous

Karlskirche The ''Rektoratskirche St. Karl Borromäus'', commonly called the ''Karlskirche'' (), is a Baroque church located on the south side of Karlsplatz in Vienna, Austria. Widely considered the most outstanding baroque church in Vienna, as well as one ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Wittkower, in his monograph, acknowledges San Simeone is modeled on the

Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...

with a temple-front

pronaos A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

, on the other hand, the peaked dome recalls Longhena's more embellished and prominent

Santa Maria della Salute Santa Maria della Salute ( en, Saint Mary of Health), commonly known simply as the Salute, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located at Punta della Dogana in the Dorsoduro sestiere of the city of Venice, Italy. It stands on the nar ...

church. The centralized circular church design and the metal dome recalls Byzantine models and

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Saint Mark's Square, that was never admin ...

, though the numerous centrifugal chapels are characteristic of Post-Tridentine churches. This was one of the last churches built in Venice, in one of its poorer

sestieri 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 ...

. The pediment of the entrance has a marble relief depicting "The Martyrdom of the Saints" by Francesco Penso, known as "il Cabianca." Saint Simon was apparently the martyred cousin of Christ, martyred as a Jew by the Romans. The mass is celebrated according to the 1962 Roman Missal by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.

Design and architecture

The church has a Neoclassic style, with an oval cup dome, specially designed with the intent of making the church seem larger than it actually is. It also goes slightly underground, where there lies some religious depictions and paintings. Around the interior of San Simeone Piccolo there are several altar rooms, notorious for minor operas. On these altars some other artworks by

Antonio Marinetti Antonio Marinetti, also called ''il Chiozzotro'' (Chioggia, born circa 1700) was an Italian painter, active in a late- Baroque style. ''Ragazzo con mela'' - Ca' Rezzonico, Venice Biography He was a pupil of Giovanni Battista Piazzetta. He paint ...

Francesco Polazzo Francesco Polazzo (1683–1753) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque period, active mainly in Venice. He was a pupil of Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, and painted portraits and historical subjects, though better known as a restorer of pict ...

, and others. Today, some parts of the building are forbidden from public visitation.

References

San Simeon Piccolo's Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simone Piccolo Roman Catholic churches in Venice 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1738 Neoclassical architecture in Venice Churches used by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Centralized-plan churches in Italy Neoclassical church buildings in Italy