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 Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy. One of the largest churches in the city, it has the status of a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

. After the 15th century the funeral services of all of Venice's doges 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 John and Paul (Latin: ''Ioannes, Paulus'') are saints who lived during the fourth century in the Roman Empire. They were martyred at Rome on 26 June. The year of their martyrdom is uncertain according to their ''Acts''; it occurred under Julia ...

, 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 Jacopo Tiepolo (died 19 July 1249), also known as Giacomo Tiepolo, was Doge of Venice from 1229 to 1249. He had previously served as the first Venetian Duke of Crete, and two terms as Podestà of Constantinople (1218-1220 and 1224-1227). During ...

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 Constantinopl ...

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 tangi ...

. 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 San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti is an ancient church in the sestiere of Castello, Venice, northern Italy, with a facade facing a Rio of the same name. It now serves as the chapel of the Civic Hospital of Venice. History By 1224, a hospital for le ...

, the Ospedaletto and the Beata Vergine Addolorata. The Renaissance

Equestrian Statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni The Equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni is a Renaissance sculpture in Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, Italy, by Andrea del Verrocchio in 1480–1488. Portraying the condottiero Bartolomeo Colleoni (who served for a long time unde ...

(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 su ...

, 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 The ''Saint Vincent Ferrer Altarpiece'' is a tempera on panel painting by Giovanni Bellini (possibly with some collaboration by another artist on the scenes of Ferrer's miracles on the predella, perhaps Lauro Padovano), dating to 1464–1470 and ...

'' 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 architecture. ...

(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 ...

Giovanni Martini da Udine Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

(''Coronation of the Virgin'' in the south transept) *

Lorenzo Gramiccia Lorenzo Gramiccia (1702–1796) was an Italian painter, active in a late-Baroque. He was born in Cave, Lazio, near Palestrina in the Lazio, but is mainly known for his work in the north of Italy. He trained in Rome, but did not pursue Neoclassic ...

(''Madonna del Rosario'' in Capella di Trinita) *

Piero di Niccolò Lamberti Piero is an Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: *Piero Angela (1928–2022), Italian television host *Piero Barucci (born 1933), Italian academic and politician *Piero del Pollaiuolo (c. 1443–1496), Italian painter *Piero de ...

and

Giovanni di Martino Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * '' Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend ...

(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 signific ...

(sala S. Tommaso) *

Pietro Lombardo Monument of the Doge Pietro Mocenigo 1481 :''Pietro Lombardo is also the Italian version of the name of the theologian Peter Lombard.'' Pietro Lombardo (1435–1515) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect; born in Carona (Ticino), he ...

(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 ...

( and Alessandro Leopardo?) ( on the north wall of the choir) *

Lorenzo Lotto Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian Painting, painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school (art), Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He pain ...

('' St Antoninus Giving Alms'' in the south transept) * Rocco Marconi (''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 Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...

in the Chapel of San Dominico) *

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 ...

(''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,

''Madonna del Rosario'' Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Monumento del doge Tommaso Mocenigo - Pietro Lamberti e Giovanni di Martino da Fiesole.jpg,

tomb of Tommaso Mocenigo Right transept of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Christ between Sts Peter and Andrew by Rocco Marconi.jpg, Rocco Marconi ''Christ between SS Peter and Andrew'' Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - The Glory of St. Dominic by Piazzetta.jpg,

''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 A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the La ...

, is now in the

Accademia Gallery The Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze, or "Gallery of the Academy of Florence", is an art museum in Florence, Italy. It is best known as the home of Michelangelo's sculpture ''David''. It also has other sculptures by Michelangelo and a large ...

. *

Alessandro Vittoria Alessandro Vittoria funerary monument - San Zaccaria, Venice Alessandro Vittoria (1525–1608) was an Italian Mannerist sculptor of the Venetian school, "one of the main representatives of the Venetian classical style" and rivalling Giamb ...

(''St Jerome'' in the north aisle) *

Alvise Vivarini Alvise or Luigi Vivarini (1442/1453–1503/1505) was an Italian painter, the leading Venetian artist before Giovanni Bellini. Like Bellini, he was part of a dynasty of painters. His father was Antonio Vivarini and his uncle, with whom he may ha ...

(''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 als ...

(''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,

''St Jerome'' Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Jesus Christ bearing the Cross.jpg,

''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 Tintoretto ( , , ; born Jacopo Robusti; late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594) was an Italian painter identified with the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized the speed with ...

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 Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

('' 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

Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Isaiah by Vittoria.jpg, Isaiah by

Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Libyan Sibyl by Vittoria.jpg, Libyan Sibyl by

Chapel of our Lady of the Rosary of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - The Delphic Sibyl by Vittoria.jpg, Delphic Sibyl by

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 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 wit ...

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-Mannerist and early- Baroque Venetian school, best known for having mentored Pietro Liberi, Giulio Carpioni, and ...

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

Funerary monuments

After the 15th century the funeral services of all of Venice's doges were held in Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Twenty-five doges are buried in the church, including: *

(d. 1249) * Marino Morosini (d. 1253) *

Reniero Zeno Coat of arms of Reniero Zeno Silver Grosso of Doge Raniero Zeno, 1253–1268, Venice. Reniero Zeno ( vec, Renieri Zen) (died 7 July 1268) was the 45th Doge of Venice, reigning from 1 January 1253 until his death in 1268. Life The first refer ...

(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 with ...

(d. 1275) *

Giovanni Dolfin Giovanni Dolfin, also known as Giovanni Delfino or Delfin (died 12 July 1361) was the fifty-seventh Doge of Venice, appointed on August 13, 1356. Despite his value as general, during his reign Venice lost Dalmatia. He was blind from one eye after ...

(d. 1361) *

Marco Cornaro Marco Cornaro (c. 1286 – 13 January 1368), also known as Marco Corner, was the 59th doge of Venice, ruling between 1365 and 1368. His brief reign saw the loss of Venetian territory to Genoa and the Ottoman Empire, though Venice was to enjoy eco ...

(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