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Chiesa e Campanile di San Giorgio Maggiore

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Liam Hetherington
Liam Hetherington
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4 out of 5
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Chiesa e Campanile di San Giorgio Maggiore

  • February 18, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Liam Hetherington from Manchester, United Kingdom
Chiesa e Campanile di San Giorgio Maggiore

From the Piazzale a church can be seen, seemingly floating upon the surface of the lagoon. This church is that of San Giorgio Maggiore (St. George the Greater). Situated on its own speck of land its greatest claim to fame is its campanile, from which fabulous views of Venice can be obtained.

Construction of the present church commenced in 1565 to the designs of the great Vicenzan architect Andrea Palladio. The neo-classical frontage, complete with Corinthian columns, in white Istian marble, and the symmetry of the church are all keynotes of Palladio's style. Inside there is a panoply of paintings by Domenico and Jacopo Tintoretto, including a Last Supper flanking the altar, and a nativity by Jacopo Bassano, the infant Jesus glowing like a Ready-Brek kid. There are also some lovely carved stalls in the choir. Thankfully they are illuminated so you can see them.

However, the real selling point is the bell-tower. €3 whisks you to the top in an express elevator. Distant as it is from the city, the campanile gives an unmatched 360 degree view over towards the Piazza San Marco, Dosuduro and the Salute, and the smaller islands stretching south through the lagoon, the three o'clock sun glinting on the placid seas by Sacca Sessola. From here you can actually glimpse the waterways threading through Venice - as compared to the campanile at San Marco which gives an uninterrupted view of brown rooftops.

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