Sant'Alvise 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, M ...

Cannaregio Cannaregio () is the northernmost of the six historic ''sestieri'' (districts) of Venice. It is the second largest ''sestiere'' by land area and the largest by population, with 13,169 people . Isola di San Michele, the historic cemetery island, ...

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

, 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 re ...

. The brick exterior and facade do not reflect the rich interior.

History

According to tradition, the church was built, along with the adjoining monastery, by Antonia Venier in 1338 and dedicated to St. Louis of Toulouse, known in Venice as Saint Alvise. The church was built on the plan of a basilica. The simple facade is marked by a large doorway made of Istria stone. Above the door is a statue of Saint Alvise from 1400. The original wooden structures were rebuilt in 1430 due in part to the generosity of

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

. The church was restored in the XVII century, the interior almost completely remodeled. The Gothic bell tower dates from the XIII Century."The Church of Sant'Alvise", Camera di Commercio di venezia
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Interior

It has a single nave, the current appearance dating from the 17th century restoration. On the interior facade above the entrance porch you can see a "barco". A special piece on the counter-facade. Protected by wrought iron gates, behind which the enclosed nuns could attend the religious services. Campo San Alvise (Venice).jpg, West Facade on campo Venezia_Sant'Alvise_R01.jpg, Main entrance Chiesa Sant'Alvise San Ludovico da Tolosa.jpg, Statue of St. Louis of Toulouse

Art work

The ceiling was entirely frescoed by Pietro Antonio Torri and

Pietro Ricchi Pietro Ricchi (1606 – 15 August 1675) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, born in Lucca. In 1632–33, he was in France and painted a fresco the rooms of . Fléchères salon chasses4.JPG, 'Salon de la Chasse' : boar hunt Fléchères c ...

in 1674."Sant'Alvise Church", Associazione per le Chiese del Patriarcato di Venezia
/ref> To the right of the entrance are two canvases by

Pietro della Vecchia Pietro della Vecchia, Pietro della Vècchia or Pietro Vècchia, formerly incorrectly called Pietro MuttoniBernard Aikema. "Vecchia, Pietro della."Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 5 March 2018 (Vicenza, 1603 &nda ...

depicting ''Theft of the body of St. Mark'' and ''The Saracens refuse to inspect the basket with the body of St. Mark'', made as cartoons for mosaic decoration of St. Mark's Basilica. These are followed by a ''St. Louis consecrated bishop of Toulouse'' (

Louis of Toulouse Saint Louis of Toulouse (9 February 1274 – 19 August 1297), also known as Louis of Anjou, was a Neapolitan prince of the Capetian House of Anjou and a Catholic bishop. Life Louis was born in Brignoles, Provence (or in Italy, at Nocera, where ...

) attributed to

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 ...

. Further along the right wall and in the presbytery are three large works by

Giambattista Tiepolo Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( , ; March 5, 1696 – March 27, 1770), also known as Giambattista (or Gianbattista) Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an import ...

, in order: ''Christ Reaching the Calvary'', the ''Coronation of Thorns'', and the ''Flagellation''."Sant'Alvise", Fodor's
/ref> To the left of the entrance are small 15th-century tempera panels by

Lazzaro Bastiani Lazzaro Bastiani (1429 – 5 April 1512) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance, active mainly in Venice. He was born in Padua. He is first recorded as a painter in Venice by 1460 in a payment for an altarpiece of San Samuele, for the Procura ...

, depicting stories of Old Testament. These were originally on the organ case of Santa Maria delle Vergini, which was suppressed in 1806."Sant’Alvise", The Churches of Venice
/ref> It also contains a ''Portrait of a priest'' (1420) by

Jacobello del Fiore Jacobello del Fiore (c. 1370 – 1439) was a Venetian painter in the late fourteenth century and early fifteenth century. His early work is in the Late Gothic style popularized by Altichiero da Verona and Jacopo Avanzi, two of his contemporar ...

. The first altar to the left has three statues attributed to

Gianmaria Morlaiter Giovanni Maria Morlaiter (15 February 1699 – 22 February 1781) was an Italian sculptor of the Rococo or late-Baroque, active mainly in his native Venice. Biography Almost all the sculpture in the church of the Gesuati, Venice is the work of M ...

. The last altar to the left has an ''Annunciation and Saints Augustine and Alvise'' by followers of

Bonifacio de' Pitati Bonifacio Veronese, birth name: Bonifacio de' PitatiAlso known as Bonifazio Veneziano (1487 – 19 October 1553) was an Italian Renaissance painter who was active in the Venetian Republic. His work had an important influence on the younger ge ...

. On the left wall of the presbytery is a ''Christ in the Garden'' by

Angelo Trevisani Angelo Trevisani (1669 – after 1753) was an Italian painter of the late- Baroque, active mainly in Venice. He was born in Venice (or possibly Capodistria), the younger brother of Francesco Trevisani who was born in Capodistria, and who painted ...

. The adjacent convent is occupied by the

Canossian Daughters of Charity The Canossians are a family of two Catholic religious institutes and three affiliated lay associations that trace their origin to Magdalen of Canossa, a religious sister canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988. Canossian family Canossian Daughter ...

. Sant'Alvise (Venice) interior.jpg, View of the nave Sant'Alvise (Venice) interior - Il Barco.jpg, The ''Barco'' Sant'Alvise (Venice) interior - Ceiling.jpg, ''Heavenly Jerusalem'' by Pietro Antonio Torri and Pietro Ricchi Sant'Alvise (Venice) interior - Saint Louis, sacred, bishop of Toulouse by Pietro Damini.jpg, Saint Louis, sacred, bishop of Toulouse by

Sant'Alvise (Venice) interior - Madonna of the Rosary by Gian Maria Morlaiter.jpg, Madonna of the Rosary by

Giovanni Maria Morlaiter Giovanni Maria Morlaiter (15 February 1699 – 22 February 1781) was an Italian sculptor of the Rococo or late-Baroque, active mainly in his native Venice. Biography Almost all the sculpture in the church of the Gesuati, Venice is the work of M ...

Sant'Alvise (Venice) interior - Organ.jpg, The organ

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sant'alvise Churches completed in 1338 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Alvise Gothic architecture in Venice 1338 establishments in Europe