The Churches of Venice

Introduction

This site grew out of my frustration that there wasn't a site like it, or indeed a comprehensive 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 are also pages devoted to the islands and to demolished churches, the latter page being at a somewhat early stage. Artists, architects and saints might get their own pages too, some time in the future. I suppose I must point out that, contradictory (and maybe even contrary) 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 than 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 rather than writing about, say, San Marco and the other churches that are well-enough 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. At the moment there are no addresses or map references, as this is info available elsewhere, but I'm sure that I'll get around to it in time.

The photos are mostly mine too, except where noted.

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

(click here to send me an encouraging e-mail)

Progress reports
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.

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

May 2009
Every church done! It's 14th May and I just did San Silvestro, so every church now has an entry. Phew!
Except San Marco of course, my self-conscious exclusion.

July 2009
Half-way through proof-reading the site, and about to embark on the tedious task of adding links from the list to each church's entry. Honest.

August 2009
Proof-reading done, list links done - getting on with the demolished churches page.

September 2009
This year's Venice trip - gathering info and taking photos.
For my trip report click here

October 2009
New photos and visit details added. But some 'new' churches found too, resulting in some future list additions and juggling.

Copyright © Jeff Cotton 2007-2009