The sestiere Santa Croce is the smallest one of the six sestieri of Venice and also the only one you can reach by car. Since the main railway station is located here, Santa Croce, for most visitors, will be the first part of the city they lay their eyes on. Since many parts of the area were only constructed in the 19th and 20th centuries, the district does not have as many main attractions as the other sestieri.
A brief history of the sestiere Santa Croce
Before this part of the city was inhabited, it consisted mostly of marshes and salt flats. In those days, together with what is now the sestiere San Polo, it was known under the name Luprio.
In order to develop the area and make it habitable, canals needed to be diverted, stones and rubble were added to make the ground more stable and large wooden pilings were driven into the bottom of the marshes.
San Polo, thanks to its location, became a main trade hub. Docking facilites and warehouses called fondachi were built, which made the district ever more important in Venice’s economy.
The current name derives from a no longer existing church dedicated to the Holy Cross, located at the site of what are now the Giardini Papadopoli. This 6th century church and its 12th century monastery are supposed to have been where a nail from Christ’s cross was preserved. The monastery was destroyed by Napoleon in 1810. In 1830, the relic was moved to the church of San Pantalon.
In 1933, thanks to the construction of the Piazzale Roma and the Ponte della Libertà, the sestiere Santa Croce, and thus Venice, was connected to the mainland.
The reason why part of the district is reachable by cars is the artificial island of Tronchetto, which has several big parking lots and is also where the railway station of Venice is located.
What to see in the sestiere Santa Croce
Churches and basilicas
The church of San Giacomo dell’Oreo contains works by Palma il Giovane, Lorenzo Lotto, Francesco Bassano, Veronese and Paolo Veneziano.
The church of San Stae, built in the 12th and reconstructed in the 17th century, is located on the southern bank of the Grand Canal. The presbytery contains works by Tiepolo, Piazzetta and Sebastiano Ricci.
The octagonal crypt of the church of San Simeone Piccolo is the only catacomb in Venice. It is located across the Grand Canal from the main railway station. The Pantheon was an inspiration for its design.
The first version of the church of Santa Maria Mater Domini dates back to the 10th century. It was however completely reconstructed in the 16th century, including a new façade designed by Jacopo Sansovino.
The church of San Nicola da Tolentino dates from the 16th century. Its monastery is now the seat of the faculty of architecture of Venice university.
Historical buildings
The Ca’ Pesaro is one of the most imposing and famous buildings facing the Canal Grande. Three existing historic palaces were destroyed in order to facilitate its construction. It is the seat of both the Modern Art Museum and the Museum for Oriental Art.
The Fondaco dei Turchi is the seat of the National History Museum. Originally, it was the main trading center between Venice and the Muslim countries. The building nextdoor is the former grain depository Fontego del Megio.
The Ca’ Corner della Regina is the seat of the Biennale archives and of a library dedicated to contemporary art. The Fondazione Prada organizes exhibitions in another part of the building.
The Museum of the History of Fabrics and Clothing is the Palazzo Mocenigo since 1985. It exhibits handmade Venetian lace garments and clothes from the time of the Republic.
Parks and gardens
The Giardini Papadopuli is the biggest green area of the district. The wall surrounding the park still contains some of the remains of the monastery of Santa Croce, including the column topped by a cross on one of the corners.