Description of the attraction
The Church of Santa Maria del Giglio is one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Venice. Its name can be translated as the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Lilies, which reminds of the lily given to the Mother of God by the Archangel Gabriel on the day of the Annunciation. However, among the people, this temple is better known as Santa Maria Zobenigo - by the name of the Slavic family, who founded the church in the 9th century. The building stands in Piazza Campo Santa Maria Zobenigo west of Piazza San Marco. Between 1678 and 1681, the church was rebuilt by the architect Giuseppe Sardi for Admiral Antonio Barbaro. Since then, it has invariably attracted attention with its unusual baroque façade. On it, instead of the traditional statues of saints, you can see the outlines of cities - Rome, Padua, Corfu, Split, Candia and Zadar, in which Antonio Barbaro once served. His own statue in the center is framed with allegorical representations of Honor, Virtue, Glory and Wisdom. At the top of the façade, you can see a bas-relief depicting the Barbaro family coat of arms.
Inside the church of Santa Maria del Giglio is kept the only painting in Venice by the great Flemish Rubens "The Holy Family" and two paintings by Tintoretto behind the throne. The vaults of the central nave are decorated with paintings by Antonio Zanchi, and its walls are decorated with paintings by various artists, including Francesco Zugno, Gianbattista Crosato, Gaspare Diziani and Jacopo Marieschi. The organ was created by artists such as Alessandro Vittoria, Sebastiano Ricci, Giambattista Piazzetta, Jacopo Palma and Gian Maria Morlighter. The three side chapels of the church and the apse are also gracefully decorated. Above the main throne, on either side of the tabernacle, are two sculptures by Enrico Merengo depicting the Annunciation.
