Chiesa di San Giuliano Martire

Behind the Ponte di Tiberio, the Church of San Giuliano Martire stands at the heart of Borgo San Giuliano. A Benedictine abbey was established here by the ninth century; the church was rebuilt in Renaissance form in the sixteenth century. Its artworks include Paolo Veronese's Martyrdom of Saint Julian and an early-fifteenth-century polyptych.

Why it matters

The Benedictine complex was originally dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. The dedication to San Giuliano became established in the thirteenth century, and the church gave its name to the surrounding borgo. Around the middle of the sixteenth century, the medieval three-naved church and crypt were rebuilt as the single-nave structure seen today. The church remains part of the parish life of the neighbourhood.

What to notice

The third chapel on the left contains an early-fifteenth-century polyptych by Bittino da Faenza depicting stories of Saint Julian. Above the high altar is Paolo Veronese's Martyrdom of Saint Julian, in which the saint is thrown into the sea in a sack with serpents. Beneath the altar is a Roman sarcophagus associated with a local tradition that the martyr's remains arrived from Dalmatia; the relics were placed in an urn beneath the altar in 1910.

In the courtyard, a sixteenth-century well of Istrian stone bears a carved architrave depicting Saints Peter and Julian. The carving is now preserved in Rimini's city museum.

Context and history

The abbey's setting by the river and bridge helped shape the growth of the Borgo San Giuliano settlement. Excavations around the complex have revealed remains of the Benedictine cloister and portico, as well as burials from a late-antique necropolis. The monastery was restored and partly rebuilt between 1553 and 1575; the church's successive layers preserve the changing religious history of the district.