Santa Maria Assunta

Open: 10-12/15.30-17.30. 
​Map.

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The medieval church which originally stood on this site was acquired by the Jesuit Order in 1657. However, it was not until 1715 that the Jesuits felt secure enough in Venice to knock it down (only its bell tower survives) and build their own church. The order's close links with the papacy had bred suspicion in the Venetian Republic and they had, for a while, been banned from the city.

Santa Maria della Assunta, better known simply as the Gesuiti, was finally rebuilt between 1715 and 1730 by Domenico Rossi (the nephew of Giuseppe Sardi) with funds from the Manin family (whose family tomb lies at the foot of the high altar). Rossi was instructed to follow the ground plan, a single barrel-vaulted nave, of the Jesuits' mother church, Il Gesu, in Rome. He was also urged to create an interior so magnificent that it would dazzle the Venetians. The baroque façade, with its host of gesticulating statues, is the work of Giovanni Battista Fattoretto. 

One of the most remarkable features of the church is its sumptuous decoration. The walls look as if they are draped in green and white damask, but, on closer inspection, it is clear that the fabric is, in reality, green and white marble intarsia. The extravagantly ornate high altar, with its tall, twisted columns, is the work of Fra Giusppe Pozzo, brother of the much more famous Andrea Pozzo.  The sculptural group is by Giuseppe Torretti and depicts Christ sitting with God the Father on the globe of the world.  

The church is home to Titian's late painting The Martyrdom of St Lawrence, which had been commissioned for the earlier church. ​

Santa Maria Assunta (aka I Gesuiti)

Interior of Santa Maria Assunta