The Church of San Marcuola

The Church faces the Grand Canal and was erected on the XII century by Family Memmo former owners of the isle of San Giorgio and Lupanizza.

Tradition says that it was originally built on the Lemeneo Island (a shelter from the longobards invasion, now part of Venice) many and many years ago, probably even between the IX and the X Century, and that it was lately destroyed by a fire and that followed an earthquake.

The history of the church is obscure. In 1663 Antonio Gaspari presented his project of restoration that anyway started only in 1730 thanks to Giorgio Massari (Venice 1687-Venice 20 December 1766) The interiors were completed in 1936 whereas the façade remains still unfinished.

The interiors are characterized by a single nave (previously in roman style with one nave and two aisles), a squared plan with a barreled-shape vault. During the restoration an octagonal cusp was added.
From a semicircular apse was obtained the presbytery, that concludes the beautiful rectangular Major Chapel. Opposite there is the Christ Chapel dating back 1735.
The main door is on the left side of the church because Massari wanted to create the effect of the Gesuati Church (Santa Maria del Rosario) on the Giudecca Canal.
The church offers a vast statue collection by the sculptor Giovanni Maria Morlaiter, but his main opera is the last supper of Jacopo Tintoretto (very famous painter born an dead in Venice 29 September 1518 31 May 1594).