San Zanípolo, church with shrines for doges

Laatste update op 8 May 2020

Truly a grand building; the Chiesa dei SS. Giovanni e Paolo, or shor: the San Zanipolo. It is one of the largest buildings in the city, build out of bricks in Gothic style. It took almost 200 years to complete.

It is recommended to visit this church. The grandeur of it drips into your veins. The quietness and beautiful incidence of light are a nice experience. The entree costs only a few euros, and you can shoot photographs at will. You can buy beautiful panorama-postcards and there is a nice collection of rosary’s to chose from.

pano Zanipolo met Scuola San Marco

The San Zanipolo is the most important Dominican church of Venice. Mind you, the Johannes en Paul to whom the church was devoted, are not the apostles from the bible. They are two martyrs from the 3rd century. In the church you can examine beautiful paintings of famous painters. Furthermore there are 25 shrines/graves of doges to see, amongst them those of Pietro Mocenigo (1474-1476) and Andrea Vendramino (1476-1478). The old chair of the doge with its worn out red fabric is also on display. The doge sat in that chair during services.

Toegangskaart Zanipolo

The story goes that doge Jacopo Tiepolo in 1246 dreamt that a swarm white pidgeons flew over a specific swamp. This is the land he donated to the dominicans as location for their own church. The first church was destroyed in 1333 and nearly a century later in 1430 the current Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo was completed. The most important relic of the church is a foot of Santa Catharina of Siena. It is on display.
At least as interesting is the monument with urn in remembrance of Marcantonio Bragadin, the general who was murdered so gruesomely.