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Scrovegni's
Chapel |
The churches, the sanctuaries and the convents of the
Veneto testify the long and rich spiritual tradition of the communities
of believers and the variety of architecture in the Region. Pilgrims
who travel to these places can discover the ancient spirit with which
these holy sites have been built and can likewise see unique masterpieces
still preserved in small chapels, on the church walls, or on the altars.
The first primary basic stop is in Padua at the Basilica of Saint
Anthony where the remains of Saint Anthony are still kept and
at the Chapel of the Scrovegni |
where we can admire one of the most famous cycles of frescoes by Giotto.
Then we can move towards Praglia, near Padua, to visit the well known
Abbey, established in 1080, rebuilt starting in 1469 and completed in the
middle of the XVI century. Then our itinerary can take us to Vicenza, to
the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Monte Berico, on the hill where in
1426 and in 1428 the
Virgin appeared and, after this, to the Church of Santa Corona, where
one thorn from the crown
of Jesus Christ is kept.
Among the most important religious buildings
of the Region are the Duomo of Verona, San Fermo on the bank
of the Adige River, and
San Zeno, one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in
Italy.
In Treviso you cannot fail to visit the Duomo, which boasts a famous
Annunciation painted by Titian, San Francesco where Francesca
Petrarca and Pietro Alighieri lie - the children of the two celebrated
Italian poets, and San Nicolò, the largest religious
building in the city, enriched by the frescoes of famous Dominicans
painted by Tommaso
da Modena in 1352. |
San Zeno |
The Abbey of Follina in the green hills of the Valmarena is the best
place for those who are looking for peace and tranquility: the simple and
austere church, and its two cloisters - one Romanesque, the other from the
XVI century - invoke meditation.
S. Maria
della Salute |
Our brief excursion ends in Venice
where civil and religious architecture is mixed together: the Church
of the Madonna dell'Orto in the north of the city where Tintoretto
is buried; the Church of San Giacomo dell'Orio, one of the most ancient
and suggestive churches; the Church of Santa Maria Assunta
dei Miracoli, a jewel of Renaissance architecture; the Church
of the Frari where Titian reinterpreted the idea of the
Assumption of the Virgin with the explosive colors of the painting
on the main altar; Saint Mark, full of wonderful mosaics; San
Giorgio Maggiore and the Redentore, a charming scenario
for Saint Mark's Square; and, finally, |
the center and a concrete symbol of the city's rebirth after the plague
of 1630-31, the Church of Santa Maria della Salute, one of the highest
examples of the Baroque style in the Region.
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