Chiesa di San Sebastiano

San Sebastiano in Venice preserves an extensive decorative ensemble by Paolo Veronese. Ceiling paintings, wall frescoes and presbytery canvases connect successive commissions within the church where the painter was buried in 1588.

Why it matters

Veronese worked here in several campaigns from the mid-1550s to about 1570. The resulting ensemble gives a sustained account of his use of colour, architectural illusion and sacred narrative rather than presenting only an isolated altarpiece.

What to notice

Three large nave-ceiling paintings illustrate the story of Esther. Their figures and painted architecture animate the coffered setting. Prophets, sibyls and Church Fathers appear in the upper nave, while the presbytery contains the Madonna in Glory with Saint Sebastian and canvases devoted to the martyrdoms of Sebastian and Saints Mark and Marcellian. Veronese's tomb adds a personal connection to the works.

Context and history

The church originated with a late-fourteenth-century religious foundation and was enlarged from 1506 under Antonio Abbondi, known as Scarpagnino. Its single nave, coffered ceiling and domed presbytery provided distinct settings for the later decoration. Works by other Venetian artists, including Titian, broaden its artistic inheritance.