The Church of Saint Roch () 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 dedicated to

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79; traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327), also called Rock in English, was a Majorcan Catholic confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he was especially invo ...

in Venice, northern Italy. It was built between 1489 and 1508 by Bartolomeo Bon the Younger, but was substantially altered in 1725. The façade dates from 1765 to 1771, and was designed by

Bernardino Maccarucci Bernardino Maccarucci (c. 1728 – 1798) was an Italian architect, active in his native Venice. He was a pupil of Giorgio Massari, but most of his work in the declining republic was merely in reconstructions and restorations. He helped build t ...

. The church is one of the Plague-churches built in Venice. St. Roch, whose

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s rest in the church after their transfer from

Voghera image:Voghera Castle.jpg, The Castle of Voghera in a 19th-century etching. Voghera (Emilian dialect, Vogherese dialect of Emilian: ''Vughera''; Latin language, Latin: ''Forum Iulii Iriensium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Pavia i ...

(trad.

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

), was declared a

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of the city in 1576. Every year, on his

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

(16 August), the

Doge Doge, DoGE or DOGE may refer to: Internet culture * Doge (meme), an Internet meme primarily associated with the Shiba Inu dog breed ** Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency named after the meme ** Kabosu (dog), the dog portrayed in the original Doge image ...

made a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

to the church. Near the church is the ''

Scuola Grande di San Rocco The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is a building in Venice, northern Italy. It is noted for its collection of paintings by Tintoretto and generally agreed to include some of his finest work. History The building is the seat of a confraternity establ ...

'', noted for its numerous Tintoretto paintings. It was founded in the 15th century as a confraternity to assist the citizens in time of plague.

Description

Exterior

The facade is decorated within years years 1765–1769 in collaboration with major Venetian sculptors of its time. On the semicircular tympanum stands the statue of Saint Roch by Giuseppe Bernardi. On the sides are statues of Saint

Gerolamo Emiliani Gerolamo Emiliani, CRS ( also Jerome Aemilian, Hiëronymus Emiliani) (1486 – 8 February 1537) was an Italian humanitarian, founder of the Somaschi Fathers, and is considered a saint by the Catholic Church. Born in Venice, he spent some time i ...

and Blessed Pietro Acotanto. In the second register is a relief of ''Saint Roch healing the plague stricken'' by Giovanni Morlaiter. In the niches on the sides are statues of Saints Lorenzo Giustiniani and Gregorio Barbarigo by Antonio Gai. In the first register flanking the main entrance are Saints Gerardo Sagredo and Pietro Orseolo by Giovanni Marchiori. The main portal has a bronze copy relief of the ''Glory of Saint Roch'' by Malchiori. The marble original is inside the church. San Rocco (Venice) - San Rocco healing the plague victims by Giovanni Morlaiter.jpg, ''San Rocco heals the victims of the plague'' by Giovanni Maria Morlaiter San Rocco (Venice) - Statue of Saint Gerard of Csanád.jpg, Saint Gerardo Sagredo San Rocco (Venice) - Statue of Saint Gregorio Barbarigo.jpg, Saint Gregorio Barbarigo San Rocco (Venice) - Statue of Saint Lawrence Giustiniani.jpg, Saint Lorenzo Giustiniani San Rocco (Venice) - Statue of Saint Peter Orseolo.jpg, Saint Pietro Orseolo

Interior

The church interior is notable for its

Tintoretto Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( ; , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized th ...

paintings including: *''Annunciation'' and ''St Roch presented to the Pope'' on west wall. *''St. Roch taken to Prison'' (attributed) and ''The Pool of Bethesda'' on south wall of the nave. *''St. Roch curing the plague victims'', ''St. Roch comforted by an Angel'', ''St. Roch in Solitude'' and ''St. Roch healing the Animals'' (attributed) in chancel. *''St. Christopher'' and ''St Martin on Horseback'' by

Pordenone Pordenone (; Venetian language, Venetian and ) is a city and (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the capital of the Province of Pordenone, Regional decentralization entity of Pordenone. The name comes from Lati ...

hang on north wall of the nave. Also present are a monument to

Pellegrino Baselli Grillo Pellegrino may refer to: People *Pellegrino (given name) *Pellegrino (surname) Places * Mount Pellegrino, an Italian mountain in Sicily * Pellegrino Park, a municipal park in Marble Hill, Missouri * Pellegrino Parmense, an Italian city of the pr ...

(1517) and a statue of St. Roch by

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 ...

. San Rocco Venezia (Interno).jpg, Interno San Rocco Venezia (Interno) - Cappella maggiore.jpg, Altar by Venturino Fantoni San Rocco Venezia (Interno) - Cappella maggiore - Soffitto.jpg, Dome and the apse were decorated by Il Pordenone San Rocco Venezia (Interno) - Organo di Gaetano Callido.jpg, Organ San Rocco Venezia (Interno) - Cristo scaccia i mercanti dal tempio di Giovanni Antonio Fumiani.jpg, Christ expels the merchants from the temple" of Fumianidi

Notes

References

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External links

Satellite image from Google Maps
(just to the left of the large church, the

Frari The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, commonly abbreviated to ''the Frari'', is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy. It is the largest church in the city and it has the status ...