The Church of Saint Roch ( it, Chiesa di San Rocco) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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, is a Catholic saint, a confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he is especially invoked a ...

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 ...

, northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It was built between 1489 and 1508 by Bartolomeo Bon the Younger, but was substantially altered in 1725. The

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

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

, whose

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 ...

s rest in the church after their transfer from

Voghera The Castle of Voghera in a 19th-century etching. Voghera ( Vogherese dialect of Emilian: ''Vughera''; Latin: ''Forum Iulii Iriensium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy. The population was 39,374 ...

(trad.

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) 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 ...

), was declared a

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

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 d ...

(16 August), the

Doge A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as " crowned republics". Etymology The ...

made a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

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 Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

Description

Exterior

The facade is decorated with statues by Giovanni Marchiori. On the left Gerard de Csanád (

Gerardo Sagredo Gerardo may refer to: People Given name Gerardo is the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of the male given name Gerard. * Gerardo Amarilla (born 1969), Uruguayan politician * Gerardo Bonilla (born 1975), Puerto Rican-born professional race ca ...

) and

Gregorio Barbarigo Gregorio Giovanni Gaspare Barbarigo (16 September 1625 – 18 June 1697) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal who served as the Bishop of Bergamo and later as the Bishop of Padua. He was a frontrunner in both the 1689 and 1691 papal concla ...

; On the right,

Lorenzo Giustiniani Lawrence Justinian ( it, Lorenzo Giustiniani, 1 July 1381 – 8 January 1456) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian Catholic priest and bishop who became the first Patriarch of Venice. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. Biography La ...

and Pietro Orseolo. In the center above the entrance door: ''San Rocco heals the victims of the plague'' by

Giovanni Maria Morlaiter Giovanni Maria Morlaiter (15 February 1699 – 22 February 1781) was an Italian sculptor of the Rococo or late-Baroque, active mainly in his native Venice. Biography Almost all the sculpture in the church of the Gesuati, Venice is the work of M ...

. San Rocco (Venice) - San Rocco healing the plague victims by Giovanni Morlaiter.jpg, ''San Rocco heals the victims of the plague'' by

San Rocco (Venice) - Statue of Saint Gerard of Csanád.jpg, Saint

San Rocco (Venice) - Statue of Saint Gregorio Barbarigo.jpg, Saint

San Rocco (Venice) - Statue of Saint Lawrence Giustiniani.jpg, Saint

San Rocco (Venice) - Statue of Saint Peter Orseolo.jpg, Saint Pietro Orseolo

Interior

The church interior is notable for its

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 ...

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 and fur, Pordenon) is the main ''comune'' of Pordenone province of northeast Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The name comes from Latin ''Portus Naonis'', meaning 'port on the Noncello (Latin ''Naon'') River'. ...

hang on north wall of the nave. Also present are a monument to Pellegrino Baselli Grillo (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

* *

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, usually just called the Frari, is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy. The largest church in the city, it has the status of a minor basil ...