The Madonna dell’Orto Church is located in the Cannaregio district of Venice. It was the favorite church of the painter Tintoretto, who, together with his relatives, is buried here. The painter was also responsible for most of the artwork in the church.
Madonna dell’Orto Church Venice
Address, Opening Hours and Admission Price
The address of the Madonna dell’Orto Church is Campo della Madonna dell’Orto 3512 – Venice (tel. +39 041 719933). Vaporetto: Madonna dell’Orto. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00. Entrance fee: 3 Euro. Free with Chorus Pass.
History
The Madonna dell’Orto Church was built in the mid-14th century by order of the order of the Humiliati, which was influential in northern Italy between the 12th and 16th centuries.
The architect was Tiberio da Parma and the church was originally dedicated to Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers.
When a miraculous statue of Mary was found in a nearby orchard (orto, in Italian) in the 15th century, the name was changed.
The church needed restoration as early as 1399.
When the order was banned (mid-15th century) the church first came into the hands of the Regular Canons of San Giorgio. When this ordeer was also forbidden, the Cistercians took charge of the Madonna dell’Orto (1669).
Several restorations followed over the years and, after the unification of Italy, the church came into the hands of the Italian state.
What to see
The elegant brick façade is characterized by a large rose window above the entrance and two large pointed arch windows with polyphorae on the sides.
On the upper part of the sides of the façade are statues of the 12 Apostles, six on each side.
Above the portal there are also three statues, representing Saint Christopher, the Madonna and the Archangel Gabriel. These were made by Nicolò di Giovanni Fiorentino and Antonio Rizzo.
In another five niches are statues depicting various virtues. These first stood in the Santo Stefano Church, which was razed to the ground in the 18th century.
The bell tower and the dome were completed in 1503.
The interior of the church is graced by a number of paintings by Tintoretto, including “The Last Judgment” and the “Adoration of the Golden Calf” from the same year, both painted in 1530.
Cima da Conegliano painted “John the Baptist between Saints Peter, Mark, Jerome and Paul”.