Description of the attraction
The Church of Santi Apostoli di Cristo, popularly known as San Apostoli, is one of the oldest churches in Venice. It was built in the 7th century on the territory of the modern urban area of Cannaregio, and has been rebuilt several times since then. The current building of the temple is the result of a large-scale reconstruction undertaken in 1575. One of the main attractions of San Apostoli is the Cornaro Chapel, supposedly built by the architect Mauro Codussi in the 1490s and considered the most important example of early Renaissance architecture. This chapel also serves as the burial place for several members of the powerful Cornaro family, including Katerina Cornaro, ruler of the Kingdom of Cyprus. In addition, the church is notable for several works of art, including works by Giambattista Tiepolo and Paolo Veronese.
In the 7th century, Venice was not yet a city, but a cluster of small settlements scattered across the lagoon. It was then that Saint Magnus, Bishop of Oderzo, came here and founded eight churches here. According to legend, the Twelve Apostles appeared to the saint, who instructed him to build a temple on the spot where he would see 12 cranes. This place, located on the territory of the modern quarter of Cannaregio, became the site of the construction of San Apostoli.
In the 15th century, as mentioned above, the Cornaro chapel was added to the church, and a porch and sacristy were built in front of the church. This work was also carried out with the participation of Mauro Codussi. In the middle of the 16th century, the building was temporarily owned by the Cathecumene, a Venetian monastic order that was involved in converting people to Christianity. They later settled in the church of San Gregorio. Shortly thereafter, in 1575, San Apostoli was completely rebuilt. Only fragments of frescoes and the Cornaro chapel have survived from the original building. At the beginning of the 18th century, an onion dome was added to the church bell tower, designed by Andrea Tirali. The bell tower itself, by the way, was built at the end of the 17th century. The interior of the church has preserved the plan of the 16th century - the only nave is supported by two rows of columns. Among the artists who worked on the interior decoration of San Apostoli, it is worth highlighting Giambattista Tiepolo, Paolo Veronese, Giovanni Contarini, Sebastiano Santi and Cesare da Conegliano.
