San Zan Degolà
San Zan Degolà , Italian San Giovanni Decollato , is a church in Venice . It is located between Campo San Giacomo dall'Orio and Fontego dei Turchi in the Santa Croce sestiere .
The patron saint of the church is John the Baptist (Venetian Zan degolà = John the beheaded ; It. San Giovanni decollato ). The building is one of the few examples of largely preserved Venetian-Byzantine architecture in the lagoon city.
history
According to various sources, the beginnings of the church go back to the 8th to 10th centuries; it is considered to be one of the oldest churches in Venice. Since 1007 it has been the parish church of their neighborhood. It was supported since the 11th century by foundations of the Venier family , who owned a palace nearby. The facade dates from the 16th century. Despite some renovations in the past centuries, it has largely retained its original appearance.
During the occupation of the city by Napoleon's troops , it served as a warehouse, which damaged the ancient floor and also some of the ancient columns made of Greek marble with capitals from the 11th century.
More recently, old wall frescoes have been discovered in the church that have not yet been reliably dated.
In 1994 it was reopened after a long period of closure and made available to the Russian Orthodox community of Venice by the Patriarch of Venice for their services.
literature
- Church guide Venice . Herbert Rosendorfer, Edition Leipzig 2008, ISBN 978-3-361-00618-8
Web links
Coordinates: 45 ° 26 ′ 30 ″ N , 12 ° 19 ′ 40 ″ E