Santa Tecla is the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

-style,

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

duomo or main church in the town of Este, province of Padua, region of

Veneto Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona. Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...

, Italy.

History

A church at the site dates likely to the 4th or 5th centuries, when a church was erected upon the ruins of a former pagan temple, and dedicated to Saint

Thecla Thecla ( grc, Θέκλα, ) was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal ''Acts of Paul and Thecla''. Church tradition The ''Acts of ...

, a virgin and martyr from Anatolia. The cathedral has been refurbished over the centuries. It was rebuilt in the 8th century till possessing five naves. The church was reconsecrated by Pope

Leo IX Pope Leo IX (21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historically ...

in 1052. Until the 16th century, the layout continued to have the apse in the east. During a refurbishment during 1583 to 1592, designed by

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 facade was re-oriented. After an earthquake in 1688 damaged the church, and a complete reconstruction was promoted by the town archpriest Marco Marchetti, using designs for an elliptical nave with a tall cupola, by the Venetian architect

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 ...

. Work begun in 1690 with the blessing of the bishop Gregorio Barbarigo, and was completed in 1720 with consecration by Cardinal Rezzonico, the future Pope

Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...

. The facade was never completed, and remains in rough brick. The lower part of the bell-tower dates to the 8th century, but it was raised to its present height in 1724 by the architect Rossi. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 070

The main altarpiece is a masterwork by

Giovanni Battista 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 impo ...

, depicting ''Santa Tecla prays for the Liberation of Este from the Plague'' (1759). In the right of the presbytery, in the Chapel of the Holiest Sacrament, is a marble sculptural group depicting the ''Triumph of the Eucharist'' by

Antonio Corradini Antonio Corradini (19 October 1688 – 12 August 1752) was an Italian Rococo sculptor from Venice. He is best known for his illusory veiled depictions of human body, where the contours of the face and bodies beneath the veil are discernible. Bo ...

, including a veiled female representing Faith. In the left chapel, is a 17th-century wooden crucifix by

Francesco Terilli Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sever ...

. The marble statues at the base, depicting Mary Magdalen hugging the cross with the Madonna upheld by Maria Salome, were sculpted about a century later by

Bernardo Falconi Bernardo is a given name and less frequently an Italian, Portuguese and Spanish surname. Possibly from the Germanic "Bernhard". Given name People * Bernardo the Japanese (died 1557), early Japanese Christian convert and disciple of Saint Fran ...

. The nave ceiling has a depiction of the ''Martyrdom of Santa Tecla'' by

Jacopo Amigoni Jacopo Amigoni (ca. 1685 – September 1752), also named Giacomo Amiconi, was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque or Rococo period, who began his career in Venice, but traveled and was prolific throughout Europe, where his sumptuous portraits ...

. In the second altar to the right of the entrance is a glass urn with the body of the blessed Beatrice I d'Este (1191-1226). Upon the altar, is a 19th-century canvas depicting the ''Virgin, St John the Baptist and the Blessed Beatrice d'Este'', by

Michelangelo Grigoletti Girolamo Michelangelo Grigoletti (29 August 1801 – 11 February 1870) was an Italian painter, active in a Neoclassical style. Biography Born at Pordenone to a humble family, he was encouraged by an uncle priest who arranged for him to enrol ...

. Other paintings are housed in the Sacristy and in the Oratory of San Valentino, which is connected by a formal stairs and vestibule, and include a ''Madonna'' by

Andrea del Sarto Andrea del Sarto (, , ; 16 July 1486 – 29 September 1530) was an Italian painter from Florence, whose career flourished during the High Renaissance and early Mannerism. He was known as an outstanding fresco decorator, painter of altar-pieces, ...

; ''Flagellation of Christ'' attributed to Durer; and other paintings by

Giovanni Battista Zelotti Giovanni Battista Zelotti (; 1526 – 28 August 1578) was an Italian painter of the late Renaissance, active in Venice and her mainland territories. He appears to have been born in Verona, then part of the Venetian mainland, and trained with ...

Antonio Zanchi Antonio Zanchi (; 6 December 1631 – 12 April 1722) was an Italian painter of the Baroque, active mainly in Venice, but his prolific works can also be seen in Padova, Treviso, Rovigo, Verona, Vicenza, Loreto, Brescia, Milano, and Bergamo, a ...

Luca da Reggio Luca Ferrari (February 17, 1605 – February 8, 1654) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Biography Also called ''Luca da Reggio''. He was reputedly initially a trainee of Alessandro Tiarini. Moschini identifies him as a pupil of Guido ...

, and Tiepolo.G. Chiesi, page 436.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tecla Este Baroque architecture in Veneto 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches in Este, Veneto Centralized-plan churches in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1720