San Daniele is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church and monastery in Padua, region of Veneto, Italy.

History and description

The church and its adjacent monastery were built by 1076 by

Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

affiliated with the Basilica of Santa Giustina di Padova. Legend holds that then Bishop Ulderico had organized a procession to transport the relics of St

Daniel of Padua Saint Daniel of Padua (died 168 AD) is venerated as the deacon of Saint Prosdocimus, the first Bishop of Padua. Life Said to have been of Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, ori ...

from the church of Santa Giustina to the cathedral, but upon arriving to this spot, the relics became too heavy to carry, and a darkness with thunder and lightning supervened, and the bishop made a promise to build here a church to the holy martyr. The saint is venerated as the deacon of Saint Prosdocimus, the first Bishop of Padua. San Daniele, sometimes labeled with the suffix "Levita", was said to have been a converted Jew who was martyred in the east in 168 A.D. In 1771, the monastery was suppressed by the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

, and transformed into a private residence. In 1948, Benedictine monks, exiled from a monastery in the former Yugoslavia, were housed in this monastery. The church is still consecrated; it was refurbished in a late-baroque style by the architect Francesco Muttoni. The facade and interior were extensively refurbished in the early 19th-century in a neoclassical fashion. The interior houses an altarpiece depicting the ''Birth of Jesus'' attributed to

Palma il Giovane 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 ...

. In a 1795 guide, the first altarpiece on the left depicted a ''St Charles ministering to those afflicted with the plague'' by

Giovanni Battista Bissoni ''The mission of the Apostles '' Abbey of Santa Giustina Giovanni Battista Bissoni (1576–1636) was an Italian painter. He was born in Padua. He was first a pupil of Francesco Apollodoro, called ''Il Porcia'', a portrait painter, and afterward ...

. In addition, an altarpiece to the right had a canvas depicting a ''Crucifixion with Mary and St John the Baptist'' by Francesco Zanella. The antique wooden choir is protected by a metal railing. To the right of the church is an elevated terrace with views of the town and surroundings.Padua Tourism website
The apse of the church still retains its circular apse partially derived from the previous Romanesque structure. The nave ceiling was frescoed in the 19th century by Sebastiano Santi, and depicts events related to St Daniele. 040PadovaSDaniele.JPG, Neo-romanesque apse exterior S.Daniele di Padova, diacono e martire..JPG, Statue of San Daniele on facade Saint Daniel of Padua 10-21 2341.jpg, Statue of Santa Giustina on facade

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniele Roman Catholic churches in Padua Neoclassical architecture in Veneto 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Neoclassical church buildings in Italy