The Church of the Eremitani (), or Church of the Hermits, is a former- Augustinian, 13th-century Gothic-style church in

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

, region of the Veneto, Italy. It is also now notable for being adjacent to the

Cappella Scrovegni The Scrovegni Chapel ( ), also known as the Arena Chapel, is a small church, adjacent to the Augustinian order, Augustinian monastery, the ''Monastero degli Eremitani'' in Padua, region of Veneto, Italy. The chapel and monastery are now part ...

with Giotto frescoes and the municipal archeology and art gallery: the ''

Musei Civici agli Eremitani The Musei Civici di Padova or degli Eremitani is a complex of museums and historic sites, centered on the former convent of the Eremitani (Augustinian order), and its famous Cappella degli Scrovegni with its Giotto fresco masterpieces. The comp ...

'', which is housed in the former Augustinian monastery located to the left of the entrance. It is part of the

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

of Padua's 14th-century fresco cycles (since 2021).

History

The Augustinian hermit

friars A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendic ...

, precursors of the present

Order of Saint Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine (), abbreviated OSA, is a mendicant order, mendicant catholic religious order, religious order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who ...

had arrived in Padua in 1237. Through the patronage of both the wife of the local nobleman Zaccaria dell'Arena and the city, the church was erected between 1260 and 1276 and dedicated to the saints

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

and

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

."The Eremitani's Church", Guide Turistiche Padova
/ref> The friars would remain in the administration of the monastery and church until 1806, when the Napoleonic régime suppressed the order and closed the monastery. The church was re-opened to services in 1808, and in 1817 redesignated a parish church. The façade is tall with a rose window. A 15th-century side portal has bas-reliefs depicting the months, completed by Nicolò Baroncelli. The interior has a single nave. The church no longer houses the famed Ovetari Chapel frescoes, depicting scenes from the lives of Saints James and

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

, painted 1448-1457 by the Renaissance painter Mantegna. The chapel was largely destroyed by a March 1944 aerial bombardment by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, because it was located next to a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

headquarters. There are more than 88,000 fragments covering only 77 square metres, while the original area covered several hundreds. The church still preserves frescoes from other painters including

Guariento Guariento di Arpo (13101370), sometimes incorrectly referred to as Guerriero, was a 14th-century painter whose career was centered in Padua. The painter is buried in the church of San Bernardino, Padua. Guariento's major commissions in Padua in ...

and Ansuino da Forlì. The church contains the tombs of

Jacopo II da Carrara Jacopo (also Iacopo) is a masculine Italian given name, derivant from Latin ''Iacōbus''. It is an Italian variant of Giacomo ( James in English). * Jacopo Aconcio (), Italian religious reformer * Jacopo Bassano (1592), Italian painter * Iac ...

(d.1351) and Ubertino da Carrara (d.1345), lords of Padua, both by Andriolo de Santi (de Sanctis) and others. They were formerly in the church of Sant'Agostino, but were moved here after that church was razed in 1819.

Gallery

Church of the Eremitani (Padua) - Interior Tomb of Jacopo II da Carrara.jpg, Tomb of

Church of the Eremitani (Padua) - Interior - Mausoleo di Marco Mantova Benavides by Bartolomeo Ammannati.jpg, Mausoleum of Marco Mantua Bonavides Church of the Eremitani (Padua) - Interior Tomb of Ubertino da Carrara.jpg, Tomb of Ubertino da Carrara

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church Of The Eremitani Buildings and structures completed in 1276 Churches completed in the 1270s

Eremitani The Church of the Eremitani (), or Church of the Hermits, is a former- Augustinian, 13th-century Gothic-style church in Padua, region of the Veneto, Italy. It is also now notable for being adjacent to the Cappella Scrovegni with Giotto frescoes ...

Augustinian churches in Italy Gothic architecture in Padua 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy