The Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, known in Venetian as San Zanipolo, is a church in the Castello ''sestiere'' of

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. One of the largest churches in the city, it has the status of a minor basilica. After the 15th century the funeral services of all of Venice's

doges A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as " crowned republics". Etymology The ...

were held here, and twenty-five doges are buried in the church.

Description

The huge brick edifice was designed in the Italian Gothic style, and completed in the 1430s. It is the principal Dominican church of Venice, and as such was built to hold large congregations. It is dedicated to John and Paul, not the Biblical Apostles of the same names, but two obscure martyrs of the Early Christian church in Rome, whose names were recorded in the 4th century but whose legend is of a later date. In 1246, Doge Jacopo Tiepolo donated some swampland to the Dominicans after dreaming of a flock of white doves flying over it. The first church was demolished in 1333, when the current church was begun. It was not completed until 1430. The vast interior contains many funerary monuments and paintings, as well as the '' Madonna della Pace'', a miraculous

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

image situated in its own chapel in the south aisle, and a foot of Saint Catherine of Siena, the church's chief

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...

. Santi Giovanni e Paolo is a parish church of the Vicariate of San Marco-Castello. Other churches of the parish are San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti, the Ospedaletto and the

Beata Vergine Addolorata Beata or Beate is a female given name that occurs in several cultures and languages, including Italian, German, Polish, and Swedish, and which is derived from the Latin ''beatus'', meaning "blessed".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Beate" Retriev ...

. The Renaissance Equestrian Statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni (1483), by

Andrea del Verrocchio Andrea del Verrocchio (, , ; – 1488), born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was a sculptor, Italian painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the ...

, is located next to the church. The belltower has 3 bells in D major. Exterior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) from Campo San Zanipolo.jpg, The facade of Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Exterior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Campanile a vela.jpg, Bel-gable Santi Giovanni e Paolo Venice interior 01.jpg, Interior of the church. Veneto Venezia5 tango7174.jpg, Chapel of the Rosary.

Notable artists

* Giovanni Bellini ('' Saint Vincent Ferrer Altarpiece'' in the south aisle) *

Bartolomeo Bon Bartolomeo Bon (also spelled Buon; died after 1464) was an Italian sculptor and architect from Campione d'Italia. His career spans the transition between Venetian Gothic architecture and the rather late start of Venetian Renaissance architectu ...

(the great west doorway) *

Cima da Conegliano Giovanni Battista Cima, also called Cima da Conegliano (c. 1459 – c. 1517), was an Italian Renaissance painter, who mostly worked in Venice. He can be considered part of the Venetian school, though he was also influenced by Antonello da ...

or Giovanni Martini da Udine (''Coronation of the Virgin'' in the south transept) * Lorenzo Gramiccia (''Madonna del Rosario'' in Capella di Trinita) * Piero di Niccolò Lamberti and Giovanni di Martino (tomb of Doge Tommaso Mocenigo in the north aisle) *

Gregorio Lazzarini Gregorio Lazzarini (1657 – 10 November 1730) was an Italian painter of mythological, religious and historical subjects, as well as portraits. One of the most successful Venetian artists of the day, a prominent teacher, and father to a signifi ...

(sala S. Tommaso) * Pietro Lombardo (tombs of on the west wall and Doges Pasquale Malipiero and Nicolo Marcello in the north aisle; tomb of Alvise Diedo in the south aisle) *

Tullio Lombardo Tullio Lombardo (c. 1455 – November 17, 1532), also known as Tullio Solari, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor. He was the brother of Antonio Lombardo and son of Pietro Lombardo. The Lombardo family worked together to sculpt famous Catholic c ...

( and

Alessandro Leopardo Alessandro Leopardi (sometimes called Leopardo) (1466 – 1512) was a Venetian sculptor, bronze founder and architect. Biography Leopardi was born and died in Venice. He is first heard of in 1482 and is said to have worked at the mint. He wa ...

?) ( on the north wall of the choir) * Lorenzo Lotto (''

St Antoninus Giving Alms ''St Antoninus Giving Alms'' or ''The Alms of St Antoninus'' is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian artist Lorenzo Lotto, created . It depicts Archbishop Antoninus of Florence giving alms as an allegorical ideal for bureaucratic charity. Th ...

'' in the south transept) *

Rocco Marconi Rocco Marconi (born before 1490 – 13 May 1529) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Venice and Treviso. He was a pupil of the painter Giovanni Bellini along with Vittore Belliniano and Girolamo Santacroce Gir ...

(''Christ between SS Peter and Andrew'' in the south transept) *

Giuseppe Maria Mazza Giuseppe Maria Mazza (13 May 1653 – 6 June 1741) was one of the leading sculptors of Bologna, Italy, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was trained as a painter, but is best known for his fine sculptural work in terracotta and stucco. ...

(five large bronze reliefs depicting the miracles of Saint Dominic in the Chapel of San Dominico) * Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (''St Dominic in Glory'' on the ceiling of the Capella di San Domenico) *

Alvise Tagliapietra Alvise Tagliapietra (1670–1747) was a Venetian baroque sculptor. Tagliapietra was born in Venice in 1670 and died there in 1747. Between 1705 and 1711, he and his studio carved several standing marble figures for the high altar of the Church ...

, reliefs in the Chapel of the Rosary Giovanni Bellini (''SS Vincent Ferrer, Christopher and Sebastian'') Facade of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Portal.jpg,

(the great west doorway) Right transept of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Cima da conegliano, incoronazione della vergine.jpg,

''Coronation of the Virgin'' Trinity Chapel Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Madona del Rosario Lorenzo Gramiccia (XVIIIe seconda metà).jpg, Lorenzo Gramiccia ''Madonna del Rosario'' Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Monumento del doge Tommaso Mocenigo - Pietro Lamberti e Giovanni di Martino da Fiesole.jpg, Piero di Niccolò Lamberti Giovanni di Martino tomb of Tommaso Mocenigo Right transept of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Christ between Sts Peter and Andrew by Rocco Marconi.jpg,

''Christ between SS Peter and Andrew'' Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - The Glory of St. Dominic by Piazzetta.jpg, Giovanni Battista Piazzetta ''St Dominic in Glory'' * Veronese (''The Assumption'', ''The Annunciation'' and ''The Adoration of the Magi'' on the ceiling of the Capella del Rosario; ''The Adoration of the Shepherds'' in the Capella del Rosario). The famous ''

The Feast in the House of Levi ''The Feast in the House of Levi'' or ''Christ in the House of Levi'' is a 1573 oil painting by Italian painter Paolo Veronese and one of the largest canvases of the 16th century, measuring . It is now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. ...

'', painted for the refectory, is now in the Accademia Gallery. * Alessandro Vittoria (''St Jerome'' in the north aisle) * Alvise Vivarini (''Christ carrying the Cross'' in the sacristy) *

Bartolomeo Vivarini Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo Vivarini (c. 1432c. 1499) was an Italian Renaissance painter, known to have worked from 1450 to 1499. Biography Bartolomeo's brother Antonio Vivarini, and his nephew (also possibly his pupil) Alvise Vivarini, were a ...

(''Three Saints'' in the north aisle) Veronese ''The Annunciation'' Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Assumption Veronese.jpg, Veronese ''The Assumption'' Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Veronese, Adoration of the Shepherds (v.1558).jpg, Veronese ''The Adoration of the Shepherds'' Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - altare of Verde Scaligera, with Jerome , by Vittoria.jpg, Alessandro Vittoria ''St Jerome'' Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Jesus Christ bearing the Cross.jpg, Alvise Vivarini ''Christ carrying the Cross'' Left nave of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Vivarini, trittico di san Zanipolo.jpg,

''Three Saints'' ;The Capella del Rosario (Chapel of the Rosary) :Built in 1582 to commemorate the victory of Lepanto, contained paintings by Tintoretto,

Palma the Younger 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 ...

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, n ...

('' The Assassination of Saint Peter Martyr'') and Giovanni Bellini, among others, but they were destroyed in a fire in 1867 attributed to anti-Catholic arsonists. Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice).jpg, Chapel of the Rosary Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Lady of the Rosary.jpg, Lady of the Rosary Giovanni Dureghello Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - David by Vittoria.jpg, David by Alessandro Vittoria Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Isaiah by Vittoria.jpg, Isaiah by Alessandro Vittoria Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Libyan Sibyl by Vittoria.jpg, Libyan Sibyl by Alessandro Vittoria Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - The Delphic Sibyl by Vittoria.jpg, Delphic Sibyl by Alessandro Vittoria Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Siding wooden altar by Giacomo Piazzetta.jpg, Siding wooden altar by Giacomo Piazzetta Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Martyrdom of St Christina by Sante Peranda.jpg, Martyrdom of St Christina by Sante Peranda Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Gian Battista Zelotti - Dead Christ.jpg, Dead Christ Giovanni Battista Zelotti Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Miracle of St Dominic.jpg, Miracle of St Dominic

Alessandro Varotari Alessandro Leone Varotari (4 April 1588 – 20 July 1649), also commonly known as Il Padovanino, was an Italian painter of the late-Mannerism, Mannerist and early-Baroque Venetian School (art), Venetian school, best known for having mentored Pie ...

Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - St Michael Vanquishing the Devil.jpg, St Michael Vanquishing the Devil

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 ...

Funerary monuments

After the 15th century the funeral services of all of Venice's

were held in Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Twenty-five doges are buried in the church, including: * Jacopo Tiepolo (d. 1249) *

Marino Morosini Marino Morosini (1181 in Venice – January 1, 1253 in Venice) was the 44th ''doge'' of Venice. He governed from 1249 to 1253. Family Marino was one of four members of the Morosini family to be elected ''doge''. The other three were Domenico ...

(d. 1253) * Reniero Zeno (d. 1268) *

Lorenzo Tiepolo Lorenzo Tiepolo (died August 15, 1275) was Doge of Venice from 1268 until his death. Biography Born in Venice, Lorenzo Tiepolo was the son of Doge Jacopo Tiepolo. Tiepolo demonstrated skill as commander when, during the War of Saint Sabas ...

(d. 1275) * Giovanni Dolfin (d. 1361) * Marco Cornaro (d. 1368) Michele Morosini Michele Morosini (1308 – 16 October 1382) was the Doge of Venice for a few months, from 10 June 1382 to his death in October the same year. Born in one of the most important Venetian families, Morosini was extremely wealthy. Opinions about h ...

Description

Notable artists

Funerary monuments

External links