Description of the attraction
Church of San Marco in San Girolamo is a baroque parish church in Vicenza, built in the 18th century by the Order of the Discalced Carmelites. It houses a number of works of art from the early 18th century, and the sacristy displays original furniture from the same period.
The church stands on the site of another religious building erected by the Jesuits in 1491 and dedicated to Saint Jerome. From that building, only the bell tower and several tombstones have survived to this day. When the Jesuit congregation was abolished in 1668, the church and monastery were bought out by the Barefoot Carmelite Order, who later expanded the religious complex by rebuilding the church in 1720-1727. Even later, work was completed on the interior of the temple and altars were made. The white and red marble flooring was completed in 1745.
The authorship of the entire project of San Marco in San Girolamo remains unknown, but it is likely that several architects worked on the building. The overall style of the interior is reminiscent of the work of the outstanding Venetian architect Giorgio Massari. The name of the local native Giuseppe Marki is also mentioned in the documents. Finally, the participation of Francesco Muttoni is also suggested. The façade of the church was designed by Abbot Carlo Corbelli of Brescia and built in 1756. The church building itself, which has been in use since 1725, was solemnly consecrated only in 1760 and dedicated to two saints - Jerome and Teresa of Avila, the founder of the Barefoot Carmelite Order. Among the people, the church began to be called Chiesa degli Scalzi.
In 1810, by the edict of Napoleon, all religious orders and monasteries were abolished, and their property was confiscated. For some time, a tobacco factory was located in Chiesa degli Scalzi, and later the building was attributed to the parish of San Marco and received its modern name - San Marco in San Girolamo. The exterior of the building has remained virtually unchanged, despite a number of restorations.
The facade of the church is made in the Baroque style and consists of two rows of Corinthian semi-columns on a high pedestal. At the top of the triangular tympanum, three statues of saints can be seen. In the lower part, in the space between the semi-columns, there are four niches, two more niches are located a little higher, and in the very center of the facade there is another large niche. Inside, the church consists of a single nave and six high side chapels. Among the works of art decorating the interior of San Marco in San Girolamo are paintings by Costantino Pasqualotto, Sebastiano Ricci, Lodovico Buffetti, Antonio Balestra and the Maganza brothers.
