Introduction
 

This site grew out of my frustration that there wasn't a site like it, or indeed a comprehensive and well-written book. The churches are divided up by sestiere - the six 'boroughs' of Venice. I've added an extra page for Giudecca which is not a sestiere - it's actually part of Dorsoduro - but is a separate enough entity to deserve one I think. There will also eventually be pages devoted to the islands and to demolished churches. Artists, architects and saints might get their own pages too, some time in the future. And I suppose I must point out that, contradictory as it may seem to some, this is a religion-free site. My interest is historical, artistic, and also non-pompous. I am respectful of others' beliefs, usually, and expect them to be respectful of my personal convictions too.

Each church's history is told, followed by a description of its architecture, artistic highlights, unique features, and/or any interesting stories. The degree to which each topic is covered will vary, depending on the information available and what makes the church interesting and worth visiting, as will the amount of personal observation and opinion in each piece. The latter depends on if the church has been visited by me, and how recently, and it's this aspect that will keep the site improving for a good long while, I think. My intention is to tell you what makes each church special, rather then to list all of its features. As I progress I'm finding that I'm becoming more interested in finding out the sparse facts about forgotten churches than I am in writing about, say, San Marco and other churches well covered elsewhere. Each entry also tells you the nearest vaporetto stop and opening times, where known. I'll endeavour to keep these times as accurate as possible, but it's always a good idea to check before travelling, and to be prepared for disappointment.

The photos are mostly mine too, except where noted.

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There's also an alphabetical list of all the churches
and a page acknowledging  my sources

Progress report - February 2009
I'm working my way through the churches of Santa Croce and San Polo, my last two sestieri, and then it'll be time to plug some other gaps and proof-read the whole site.

Progress report - April 2009
Santa Croce sestiere finished, now onto San Polo.

Progress report - May 2009
Every church done! It's 14th May and I just did San Silvestro, so every church now has a full entry. Phew!
Except San Marco of course, my self-conscious exclusion...but I have started on it.

Copyright © Jeff Cotton 2007-2009