Curiosities Church of Santa Maria de Frari in Venice

When we got to Frari FieldSince it is a small plaza next to a canal, it is difficult to get a great perspective of the building. Saint Mary of Frari which does not mean that it is a masterpiece

To give us an idea of ​​the importance of this church, it is one of the largest in Venice, and is considered a minor basilica. Stands out for the works of art that it contains inside.

Those of us who have the opportunity to visit Venice We will see the complex labyrinth of alleys, passages and small canals that the city actually is.

Except the spectacular and wonderful St. Mark's Square, there is hardly any opportunity to see open spaces.

However, walking through the neighborhood called sestiere de San Polo, if you come from Rialto bridge until the great church of Santa María de Frari, I recommend stopping first when you reach a large open square, the so-called San Polo Field.

At sestiere de San Polo, which comes to occupy the geographical center of the city of Venice, the main square that you will see is Campo San Polo, the largest after that of San Marcos, and which maintains the tradition of hosting the great venetian carnival celebrations.

But very close to it you will find another square that will offer you some beautiful corner. Is about Frari Field, the square where, as the most prominent monument, you will find the Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa de Frari.

Indeed, when you get to Frari Field, what is advisable before heading to visit the works of art from the spectacular interior of this great basilica, is that you stop in the square to enjoy this beautiful corner.

Despite being an open space, it is not large enough to appreciate the enormous magnitude of the building of the Frari Church.

But the small canal that runs along the east side of the Frari Field, beautiful bridge that crosses it, and the architecture and color of the facades of the houses and palaces that surround the square, make up a pleasant corner in front of which it is well worth stopping for a while to appreciate it.

Campo San Polo

Precisely because of its great spaciousness and location in a very central point of Venice, Campo San Polo It has been a square with an important function in the history of the city.

We must know that this great square was paved in 1493 and one of the first fountains in Venice was installed there.

And because of its dimensions, Campo San Polo It has been used for numerous events and celebrations, including bullfights.

But the true prominence of Campo San Polo in Venice is marked by the large carnival celebrations, with masquerades and markets, which remain until today.

Likewise, during the Venice Film Festival, films are shown outdoors in Campo San Polo.

If we are not going to Venice during carnival timeAs was my case, we will arrive at a large square, with two or three trees and a fountain that is not at all pompous.

Of course, it will catch our attention Palazzo Soranto, with its beautiful Gothic style façade, which dates back to the mid-14th century, and which are actually two adjacent buildings.

Church of Saint Mary of Frari

Saint Mary of Frari It has its origins in a church that the Franciscans began to build in the same place it now occupies in 1250.

When it was completed in 1338, they decided to replace it with a new church, the current one, which took almost a century to build.

We find ourselves in front of a church of italian gothic style, which has a totally different configuration than, for example, the great Gothic cathedrals of England, France or Spain.

We are struck by its austere brick walls, a type of construction chosen by the Franciscans to comply with their traditional standards of austerity.

The most notable element of the Frari's exterior is the bell tower, which has a height of 83 meters, and is the second tallest in Venice after the Campanile in St. Mark's Square.

Works of art in Santa María de Frari

the outside of Saint Mary Glorious of Frari It is not exactly the highlight of it.

Its impressive structure, which is not easy to perceive due to the small size of the plaza Frari Field, already points us to the spectacularity of its interior.

In the spacious interior of the Frari church we are going to meet a beautiful gothic choir in the center of the central nave, a front with several chapels, and the numerous artworks, such as paintings, sculptures and funerary monuments arranged throughout the church.

El Gothic choir was built in 1468, and in it we can appreciate the beautiful bas-reliefs of its spectacular three-level ashlar masonry.

In it, it is said, is the only original choir grille that has been preserved in all of Venice, which dates back to the year 1475.

On the front of the Frari We will see a large central chapel with the main altar and three small chapels on each side.

In the central chapel there is one of the most important works of art. the painting “The Assumption of the Virgin” by Titian.

To the right we will see the impressive funerary monument of Doge Francesco Foscari, and to the left, in front of the latter, the large tomb of Doge Nicolo Tron.

We must also enter the Frari Sacristy room, which is located to the right of the front chapels, where we can see the painting by Giovanni Bellini “Madonna crowned with saints”.

And on our walk through the halls of the Frari church in Venice We also find important works of art. Especially the painting “Madonna di Ca´Pesaro” by Titian, or the great Titian monument Built in 1853, located in front of the access door to the church.

Of course, in this great basilica that contains so much Renaissance art, the funerary monument of Antonio Cánova, an Italian sculptor who died in 1822, and whose disciples built a neoclassical marble pyramid, following Cánova's own designs for a monument to Titian that was never made.

To access the interior of the church of Santa María de Frari, In Venice, you have to pay an entrance fee of two euros (you cannot take photos inside).

Carlo Goldoni House Museum

When you walk through sestiere de San Polo, one of the buildings that will catch your attention is the one known as the House of Carlo Goldoni.

In this 15th century building, with an architecture of flamboyant gothic style, located on the Santo Tomás canal, next to the Nomboli bridge, very close to the San Tomás vaporetto station.

Carlo Goldoni, who gives its name to the house, was a famous and prolific Venetian playwright who was born in that Gothic building in 1707 and lived in it until 1719. Therefore, this building that was initially known as Ca Centanni went on to acquire his name.

The most notable thing about the building is the gothic facade Three floors overlooking the canal, with its beautiful four-arched window.

Currently, the House of Carlo Goldonand houses on its first floor a small theater museum, which, distributed in only three rooms, is dedicated to Goldoni's theme and puppet theater.

El House of Carlo Goldoni museum hours from venice It is from 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, and the price of admission (January 2010) is 2,5 euros, although free access is included in the Venice Museum Pass.