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The church of Santa Maria di Nazareth, or church of the Scalzi, is a religious building in the city of Venice from the early eighteenth century. The work of Baldassarre Longhena but with the façade by Giuseppe Sardi, it is located in the Cannaregio district near the Venice Santa Lucia railway station.
History
The church of Santa Maria di Nazareth owes its origins to the
settlement of the barefoot Carmelites in the lagoon city.
It was
built by Baldassarre Longhena in a single nave, with two side chapels,
each in turn flanked by two smaller chapels. After the triumphal arch,
the hall leads into the presbytery, raised and equipped with a dome. In
the apse, the choir of the friars can be seen.
It was consecrated
in 1705, but underwent a major restoration between 1853 and 1862 by the
Austrian government. Ferdinando II Gonzaga, the fifth and last prince of
Castiglione, was buried inside it on 11 February 1723.
Today it
is a national monument. Inside, colored marbles and sumptuous
Corinthians give a feeling of opulence and wonder to the visitor.
The facade, financed by the nobleman Gerolamo Cavazza, was erected by Giuseppe Sardi between 1672 and 1680. The style is a late Venetian Baroque, divided into two orders and punctuated by coupled columns. The four statues of the first order, the Madonna and Child placed on the gable, and Saint Catherine of Siena in the niche to the left of the Madonna are by Bernardo Falconi. The niche on the right was occupied by a statue of St. Thomas Aquinas by Falconi himself.
The work Transport of the house of Loreto, a fresco by Giambattista
Tiepolo from 1743, was destroyed during an Austrian bombardment on 24
October 1915. It was in an attempt to repair this damage that, in the
period 1929-1933, Ettore Tito painted for the church two works: a canvas
of 100 square meters, and a fresco of 400 square meters. The remains of
the Transport of the house of Loreto and other surviving fragments of
the ceiling are now kept in the Gallerie dell'Accademia, where one of
the two sketches (oil on canvas) painted by Tiepolo as preparatory
models for the large lost fresco is also kept. There is also a
photograph of the ceiling by James Anderson and a copy by Mariano
Fortuny in the Museo Correr.
Counter facade
The organ was
built in the early 1900s by the Pugina brothers from Padua; above Santa
Teresa crowned by the Savior by Gregorio Lazzarini.
Presbytery
The main altar is the work of Jacopo Antonio Pozzo (or fra Giuseppe
Pozzo) as well as the wooden vestment of the sacristy. The presbytery is
surmounted by a canopy supported by twisted columns. The sumptuous
tabernacle of the table, sees the statue of the Madonna with putto and
prophets, coming from the island of Santa Maria di Nazareth, then
Lazzaretto.
The statues of twelve Sibyls, the work of Giuseppe
Torretto, Giovanni Marchiori, Pietro Baratta, Giuseppe and Paolo
Groppelli, are distributed, five on each side, on the side walls and two
lying on the arch of the canopy.
Giovanelli Chapel
Assigned to
the Giovanelli family, it is characterized by a rich seventeenth-century
altar by Ludovico David. The altarpiece shows a statue of St. John of
the Cross (one of the founders of the Order of Discalced Carmelites) by
Bernardo Falcone. On the seat rail: three cardinal Virtues, statues by
Tommaso Ruer.
Ruzzini Chapel
Assigned to the Ruzzini family.
The altar was built and designed by Giuseppe Pozzo. The altarpiece:
Ecstasy of St. Teresa (1697) by Heinrich Meyring. On the vault a fresco
of the Glory of Saint Teresa (1720-1725) by Giambattista Tiepolo. Side
walls: two paintings by Niccolò Bambini; the table on the left St.
Joseph appears to St. Teresa and frees her from a dangerous encounter
and on the right Miraculous Communion of St. Teresa (The consecrated
wafer miraculously detaches from the hands of the priest to fly away to
the Saint) (end of the 17th century).
Snail Chapel
Lumaca
Chapel, or Chapel of the Crucifix It was assigned to the Lumaca family.
On the altar a large 18th century marble crucifix, attributed to
Giovanni Maria Morlaiter. The antependium Christ falling under the cross
is also attributed to Morleiter.
Altar table: in a display case,
sculpture in colored wax depicting Christ among the thieves, the work of
some religious. In the vault the fresco Christ in the Garden of
Gethsemane (1732), by Giambattista Tiepolo.
Moray Chapel
Assigned to the Mora family. Built by Baldassare Longhena. The
altarpiece with four columns of black jasper shows a statue of St. John
the Baptist in Carrara marble (late 17th century) by Melchior Barthel. A
fresco on the ceiling represents the Eternal Father in Glory (17th
century) by Pietro Liberi. Giambattista Mora is buried at the foot of
the altar.
Manin Chapel
Here is buried the last doge of
Venice, Ludovico Manin, who died on 23 October 1802. The chapel was
built by his brother Giuseppe Pozzo. The altarpiece shows a sculpture of
the Madonna and Child with Saint Joseph in the clouds by Giuseppe
Torretto, who is the author of two angels. On the side walls of the
chapel statues, Michele and Gabriele, Giuseppe Torretto himself. The two
blue glass chandeliers are in Murano glass.
Venier Chapel
Built by Sebastiano Venier (not to be confused with Doge Sebastiano
Venier), abbot and apostolic protonotary, who is buried there († 1664)
together with his brother Angelo. The altarpiece shows a statue of San
Sebastiano (1669) by Bernardo Falconi. The altar is decorated with
bronze bas-reliefs with Scenes from the life of San Sebastiano by
Bernardo Falconi himself.
Statues of Faith, Hope and Charity in
the chapel of St John of the Cross by Tommaso Rues. Two doges were
buried in the church: in the chapel of Santa Teresa, Carlo Ruzzini, who
died in 1735; in the chapel of the Holy Family, Lodovico Manin, the last
doge of the Republic of Venice, who died in 1802.
Artwork
Giambattista Tiepolo, Christ in the Garden of Olives (1732)
Giambattista Tiepolo, Apotheosis of Saint Teresa (1725)
Heinrich
Meyring, St. Teresa in Ecstasy (1697)
Giovanni Maria Morlaiter,
Crucifix