Sant'Elena (island)
Sant'Elena is a small island in the Venice lagoon . It has an area of 34 hectares , more precisely 335,275 m².
geography
Sant'Elena is located at the eastern end of the city and is connected to it by five bridges, and separated from it by the Rio di Sant'Elena o del Stadio , a 12 m wide and 460 m long waterway. It belongs to the district ( Sestiere ) Castello . The city used to end in the area of S. Antonio, where the Giardini Pubblici and the Biennale site are now .
history
_Facade.jpg)
The island was created in its current form and connection with the city during the twenty years of fascist rule, mainly through landfill and amelioration . It is named after the church of Sant'Elena Imperiatrice , which rises directly on the water. The church dates from the 13th century, it was built on the occasion of the transfer of the mortal shell of Saint Helena from the Orient . Monks of San Oliveto , who lived in the former monastery at that time, did valuable work around 1435 to save the church from deterioration.
The last religious acts took place in 1807, after which the church was discarded of its furnishings and devices used for religious practice. It was not until 1928, after the improvement work and expansion of Sant'Elenas as a residential area, that the church was reopened.
Above the entrance portal is a lunette depicting the Adoration of Saint Elena by the Commandante Vittore Cappello, a work by the Veronese sculptor Antonio Rizzo .
Today the church is administered by the servants of Mary ; Works by various artists are always worth a visit.
Residents and development
On Sant'Elena there are mostly buildings for elderly people who live in simple conditions.
The cadets of the Naval School Francesco Morosini , which is located on Sant'Elena, leave the island in their free time, because apart from the large "Parco delle Rimembranze" (Park of Memories) there are no opportunities for leisure activities. Only a few football matches take place in the stadium of Venice on Sant'Elena and hardly revive the sparse local business life, so that in the long run there is hardly any income to continue to exist.
The marina bordering the island offers a picturesque backdrop, but has no influence on business life in the area. Entrepreneurs want to revitalize the island by demanding tax exemption for a period of ten years should they invest there. No decision has yet been made.
literature
- Udo Störmer: That is Venice too. Sant'Elena - from the medieval monastery island to the modern residential area , Books on Demand, 2003.
Remarks
Web links
Coordinates: 45 ° 25 '38 " N , 12 ° 21' 54" E