Chiesa di San Marcuola

San Marcuola faces the Grand Canal with an unfinished brick facade, while its eighteenth-century interior by Giorgio Massari contains a major early Tintoretto canvas and sculpture across eight altars.

Why it matters

The church is dedicated to Saints Ermagora and Fortunato, associated with the early Christian community of Aquileia. According to Chorus, an early oratory was established in the sixth century by refugees from Aquileia. After an earthquake and fire in 1117, the church was rebuilt and consecrated in 1332. Giorgio Massari designed a new church from 1728; the interior was completed, but the Grand Canal facade remained unfinished.

What to notice

Tintoretto's Last Supper hangs in the presbytery; the national inventory dates it to 1547, while Chorus gives an earlier date of 1542. The Washing of the Feet opposite is a copy of the painting now in the Prado. Eight nave altars carry marble statues by Gaetano Susali, and statues of the two titular saints beside the tabernacle are attributed to Giovanni Maria Morlaiter. The paired pulpits reflect the church's emphasis on preaching.

Context and history

San Marcuola's successive rebuildings—from the sixth century through the twelfth, fourteenth and eighteenth centuries—reflect Venice's growth. Medieval reconstruction was financed by the Memmo and Lupanizza families. Massari's eighteenth-century design created a single nave with composite columns and pilasters and a square presbytery. The unfinished brick facade remains a visible trace of the building's history.