San Vidal (San Vitale) is a former church, and now an event and concert hall located at one end of the Campo Santo Stefano in the Sestiere of San Marco, where it leads into the campiello San Vidal, and from there to the Ponte dell'Accademia that spans the Grand Canal and connects to the Sestiere of Dorsoduro,

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 ...

, Italy.

History

A church at the site was erected in the year 1084 by Doge Vitale Falier. This church was destroyed in 1105 by a major city fire. Reconstruction continued for centuries and was finished by the 16th century. But poor foundations led to a renewed reconstruction in the 17th century, using designs

Antonio Gaspari Antonio Gaspari was an Italian architect of the late-Baroque, active in both Venice and the terrafirma of the Veneto. He was a pupil of Baldassarre Longhena, and upon his master's death in 1682, he completed some of his projects, including Longhena ...

. It was rebuilt in 1696 to honor the former Doge

Francesco Morosini Francesco Morosini (26 February 1619 – 16 January 1694) was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War. He was one of the many Doges and generals produced by the noble Venetian family of Morosini.Encyclopæd ...

. On the facade (1734–37), designed by Andrea Tirali, are sculpted portraits of the Doge

Carlo Contarini Carlo Contarini (5 July 1580 – 1 May 1656) was the 100th Doge of Venice, reigning from his election on 27 March 1655 until his death a little over a year later. Background 1580–1655 Carlo Contarini was born in Venice, the son of Elisabetta Mo ...

and his wife Paolina. At present in 2022, the church is deconsecrated, and the chamber music group ''Interpreti Veneziani'' performs concerts at the church.

Interior

The main altarpiece is a ''San Vidal on Horseback with eight saints'' (1514) by

Vittore Carpaccio Vittore Carpaccio ( UK: /kɑːrˈpætʃ(i)oʊ/, US: /-ˈpɑːtʃ-/, Italian: itˈtoːre karˈpattʃo c. 1460/66 – 1525/26) was an Italian painter of the Venetian school who studied under Gentile Bellini. Carpaccio was largely influence ...

; in the painting, four of the saints flank the saint on a white horse, while four are in the balconies above. The altar is flanked by two marble statues of the allegories of ''Faith'' (veiled) and ''Fortitude'' by Antonio Gai. The interior also houses an ''Immaculate Conception'' by Sebastiano Ricci, a ''Crucifixion and Apostles'' by Giulia Lama, a ''Trinity with Saints Peter and Francesco di Paola'' by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, and a ''Guardian Angel with St Anthony of Padua and St Cajetan of Thiene'' by

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (also called Giambattista Piazzetta or Giambattista Valentino Piazzetta) (February 13, 1682 or 1683 – April 28, 1754) was an Italian Rococo painter of religious subjects and genre scenes. Biography Piazzetta was ...

.Some sources label the Piazzetta painting as depicting ''Archangel Raffaelle''. Although there is no gravestone, the famous composer Baldassarre Galuppi is buried here. His funeral was held in the nearby church of Santo Stefano.

Restoration

San Vidal has a 29m (94ft) church bell tower, or campanile. It was a part of the original 1084 design and was rebuilt, as was the entire church, after a fire in 1105. It was restored again in 1347 and again in 1680. Evidence of these redesigns can be seen in the inclusion of a 12th Century cornice piece and a stone relief of St Gregory installed above a side door. Additional restoration work was done in 1902 and 2000.

Sources

Churches of Venice entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidal Roman Catholic churches in Venice Baroque architecture in Venice 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1696 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 1079 establishments in Europe 11th-century establishments in Italy