Chiesa di Sant'Andrea Apostolo

The Church of Sant'Andrea Apostolo is one of Chioggia's oldest religious sites. Its present Baroque interior and façade took shape over earlier medieval foundations, while the adjoining tower retains its former role as a watchtower.

Why it matters

When the bishop's seat moved from Malamocco to Chioggia in 1110, Sant'Andrea became the cathedral of the diocese until the present cathedral was completed. The church's history and artworks reflect Chioggia's growth as a lagoon city. The tower, whose clock is documented by 1386, is a distinctive surviving element of the city's medieval fabric.

What to notice

The Baroque façade is crowned by a statue of Saint Andrew and flanked by figures of Saints Peter and Paul and the martyrs Vitus and Modestus. Inside, seven altars line the hall. Palma il Giovane's 1595 altarpiece of Saint Vitus is among the works preserved here. The baptistery contains a late-fifteenth-century tabernacle attributed to the Lombardo workshop, and the church also preserves an 1804 organ by Gaetano Callido. Beside the church, the medieval watchtower rises above the surrounding street.

Context and history

Traces of a church on the site date to the tenth century. After the bishop's seat transferred in 1110, relics of Saints Felice and Fortunato were kept here until the new cathedral was ready; they returned during the cathedral fire of 1623 and again in 1910. A rebuilding campaign began in 1741 to a design attributed to Andrea Tirali. The church became an autonomous parish in 1809 and was reconsecrated in 1815. Major restorations took place in 2001–02 and 2011–14.