Chiesetta di Santo Spirito

The Church of Santo Spirito in Gorizia is a late-Gothic chapel built between 1398 and 1414 by the Rabatta brothers, with an altarpiece attributed to Domenico Tintoretto.

Why it matters

The chapel provided the borgo below Gorizia's castle with a religious centre before the city had its own parish church. Its architecture combines Venetian Gothic forms with Tyrolean ornament and a distinctive triple-apse east end, making it an important medieval building in the city.

What to notice

A small rose window, trilobed windows and bell gable shape the facade. The entrance porch carries the Rabatta and Castelpagano arms and sculpted figures of Michele Rabatta and Mariabella di Castelpagano. A mason's mark appears in the porch intrados. Three apses and carved stone angels define the east end. Above the altar is an Assumption attributed to Domenico Tintoretto, with other devotional paintings from later periods.

Context and history

Giovanni and Michele Rabatta received permission from Pope Boniface IX in 1398 to build the church. Its first stone was laid that year and the chapel was blessed in 1414. It later hosted civic ceremonies under the Counts of Gorizia. Restorations took place in 1889 and 1932; wartime damage in 1917 and a conservation campaign begun in 2024 are also recorded in local histories. The crucifix visible in the church is a copy; the original is held by the provincial museums.