Porta San Tomaso

Porta San Tomaso is Treviso's monumental northern gate, built in 1518 in pale Istrian stone where the Alemagna road arrived from beyond the Alps. Its classical triumphal-arch design distinguishes it among the city's three surviving gates.

Why it matters

Raised in 1518 under the Venetian podestà Paolo Nani, Porta San Tomaso formed the northern entrance through Treviso's sixteenth-century ramparts. It replaced a medieval gate dedicated to Thomas Becket and served traffic on the Alemagna road, linking the Republic's mainland cities with the Holy Roman Empire. Of Treviso's three surviving gates, it is the most overtly classical.

What to notice

The free-standing gate is faced in pale Istrian stone. A central carriageway under cross vaults and two pedestrian openings are framed by six Corinthian columns and an entablature. The winged lion of Saint Mark, added in 1856, appears above the date MDXVIII. A statue of Saint Paul crowns the lead-covered roof; shields of podestà, doges and the city are set into the masonry. An interior relief depicts the Virgin and Child with saints.

Context and history

The gate was part of the refortification that followed the Venetian defeat of 1509, when Treviso became the Republic's principal mainland stronghold. Paolo Nani briefly gave it his own name, but the Senate restored the older dedication. Later names included Porta Napoleona and Porta Mazzini. Its foundations lie in the Botteniga. Restoration campaigns took place in 1703, 1827, 1931, 2007 and 2012. A tram passed through the arch from 1910 to 1938.