San Vidal (San Vitale) is a former church, and now an event and concert hall located at one end of the Campo Santo Stefano in the Sestiere of San Marco, where it leads into the campiello San Vidal, and from there to the

Ponte dell'Accademia The Ponte dell'Accademia is one of only four bridges to span the Grand Canal of Venice, Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It crosses near the southern end of the canal, and is named for the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, which from 1807 to 2 ...

that spans the Grand Canal and connects to the Sestiere of

Dorsoduro Dorsoduro is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, in northern Italy. Dorsoduro includes the highest land areas of the city and also Giudecca island and Isola Sacca Fisola. Its name derives from the Italian language, Italian fo ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, Italy.

History

A church at the site was erected in the year 1084 by Doge Vitale Falier. This church was destroyed in 1105 by a major city fire. Reconstruction continued for centuries and was finished by the 16th century. But poor foundations led to a renewed reconstruction in the 17th century, using designs Antonio Gaspari. It was rebuilt in 1696 to honor the former Doge

Francesco Morosini Francesco Morosini (26 February 1619 – 16 January 1694) was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War. He was one of the many Doges and generals produced by the Venetian noble Morosini family.Encyclopæd ...

. On the facade (1734–37), designed by Andrea Tirali, are sculpted portraits of the Doge Carlo Contarini and his wife Paolina. At present in 2022, the church is deconsecrated, and the chamber music group ''Interpreti Veneziani'' performs concerts at the church.

Interior

The main altarpiece is a ''San Vidal on Horseback with eight saints'' (1514) by

Vittore Carpaccio Vittore Carpaccio ( , , ; – ) was an Italian painter of the Venetian School (art), Venetian school who studied under Gentile Bellini. Carpaccio was largely influenced by the style of the early Italian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina ...

; in the painting, four of the saints flank the saint on a white horse, while four are in the balconies above. The altar is flanked by two marble statues of the allegories of ''Faith'' (veiled) and ''Fortitude'' by

Antonio Gai Antonio Gai (Born 3 May 1686 – 4 June 1769) was an Italian sculptor, active in his native Venice and Veneto during the late-Baroque art, Baroque period. Biography He learned his trade from a wood sculptor and his father, Francesco, als ...

. The interior also houses an ''Immaculate Conception'' by

Sebastiano Ricci Sebastiano Ricci (1 August 165915 May 1734) was an Italian Baroque painter of the late Baroque period in Venetian painting. About the same age as Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, Piazzetta, and an elder contemporary of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Tie ...

, a ''Crucifixion and Apostles'' by

Giulia Lama Giulia Elisabetta Lama (1 October 1681 – 8 October 1747) was an Italian painter active in Venice during the late Baroque period. Her dark, intense style contrasted with the dominant pastel tones of the era. She was one of the first female arti ...

, a ''Trinity with Saints Peter and Francesco di Paola'' by

Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini (29 April 1675 – 2 or 5 November 1741) was one of the leading Venetian history painters of the early 18th century. His style melded the Renaissance style of Paolo Veronese with the Baroque of Pietro da Cortona ...

, and a ''Guardian Angel with St Anthony of Padua and St Cajetan of Thiene'' by

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 ...

.Some sources label the Piazzetta painting as depicting ''Archangel Raffaelle''. Although there is no gravestone, the famous composer Baldassarre Galuppi is buried here. His funeral was held in the nearby church of Santo Stefano.

Restoration

San Vidal has a 29m (94ft) church

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

, or campanile. It was a part of the original 1084 design and was rebuilt, as was the entire church, after a fire in 1105. It was restored again in 1347 and again in 1680. Evidence of these redesigns can be seen in the inclusion of a 12th Century cornice piece and a stone relief of St Gregory installed above a side door. Additional restoration work was done in 1902 and 2000.

Sources

Churches of Venice entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidal Roman Catholic churches in Venice Baroque architecture in Venice 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1696 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 1079 establishments in Europe 11th-century establishments in Italy