The Santa Maria del Giglio Church in the San Marco district of Venice is best known for its façade designed by Giuseppe Sardi. Other attractions include a painting by Tintoretto and the only Peter Paul Rubens on display in Venice.
Santa Maria del Giglio Kerk Venice
Address, opening times and entrance fee
Address : Campo Santa Maria del Giglio – Venice (tel. +39 041 2750462). Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00. Closed: Sunday, January 1, Easter, August 15, December 25. Admission price: 3 Euro (discount: 1,50 Euro). Chorus Pass is valid. Public transportation: Lines 1, 2, N (San Samuele stop).
History and description
The Santa Maria del Giglio Church owes its name to the Jubanico family who founded it in the 10th century. Its present appearance is the result of a rebuilding that took place in the second half of the 17th century.
The striking baroque-inspired facade is the work of Giuseppe Sardi, who worked on it from 1680 to 1683. This facade was intended as a monument to honor the sea captain Antonio Barbarigo. The sailor himself is depicted amidst the virtues and with underneath him the most important cities where he was active. The statues in the niches depict his five brothers.
The ceiling of the single nave church is decorated with paintings by Antonio Zanchi. Along its walls there is an impressive Via Crucis (“Stations of the Cross”), painted around 1755 by some of the most famous Venetian painters of the time.
The “Madonna and Child and San Giovannino” is the only canvas by the hand of Peter Paul Rubens on display in Venice.
Behind the altar is a “Four Evangelists” by Jacopo Tintoretto.