Description of the attraction
Basilica of San Pietro di Castello - Roman Catholic small basilica of the Patriarch of Venice, located in the Castello quarter on a tiny island of the same name. The current building of the church dates back to the 16th century, but the first temple on this site was built in the 7th century. From 1451 to 1807, San Pietro di Castello was the main cathedral in Venice and the religious center of the city. During its long history, the church has undergone a number of transformations, which were worked on by the most prominent architects of Venice. For example, the reconstruction of the facade and interior of San Pietro was the first work of the great Andrea Palladio in this city.
The very first building on the site of the current cathedral dates back to the 7th century. It was one of eight churches founded in the waters of the Venice Lagoon by Saint Magnus, Bishop of Oderzo. In those years, Venice as such did not yet exist, there were only a number of settlements scattered on small islands. According to legend, the Apostle Peter appeared to Saint Magnus, who commanded him to build a church in the place where he would see a bull and a sheep grazing side by side. In that place, a church was founded, later consecrated in honor of St. Peter.
In 1120, a fire destroyed the building of the temple, and a decision was made to build a new, larger one. In addition, the baptistery of John the Baptist was added to the new church. And three centuries later, despite the fact that San Pietro was at some distance from the political and economic center of Venice, the cathedral becomes the seat of the powerful patriarch. Immediately after this, restoration and reconstruction work begins. In the 1480s, Mauro Codussi rebuilt the bell tower of the church using white Istrian stone. Between 1508 and 1524, the floors and vaults of the church were replaced. At the same time, small chapels were rebuilt, and the interior of the temple received a new look.
In 1558, Andrea Palladio prepared a project for the reconstruction of the facade of San Pietro di Castello, which, however, was implemented only at the end of the 16th century by the architect Francisco Smeraldi. But after St. Mark's Cathedral became the official cathedral of Venice in 1807, San Pietro began to gradually decline. During the First World War, it was bombed, and only thanks to the efforts of the public was it restored. Today, the building of San Pietro di Castello and its surroundings are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The church building has a huge central nave and two side chapels. The transept crosses the church, separating the nave from the presbytery. Above the crossing point is a huge dome, one of the most remarkable in Venice. In the left side aisle, there is the Vendramin Chapel, designed by the architect Baldassar Longena. He also owns the project of the main throne, which he made in the middle of the 17th century. The organ was designed by the Dalmatian master Pietro Nakini in the 18th century. Among the works of art that adorn San Pietro di Castello, it is worth highlighting the paintings of Paolo Veronese and the altarpiece of Luca Giordano. And one of the unusual attractions of the temple is the so-called Throne of St. Peter - a 13th century chair carved from a tombstone and inscribed with quotes from the Koran.
