San Francesco della Vigna

San Francesco della Vigna is next to Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the second Franciscan church in Venice, close to the lagoon at the northern edge of the city with a highly visible Campanile. It is located in the Castello district near the Arsenal.

The church owes its name to a vineyard (Italian vigna ), who came to the Franciscans by last will of the Marco Ziani, son of Doge Pietro Ziani, on June 26, 1253. On the property stood a chapel dedicated to St. Mark. According to legend, appeared to Saint Mark, as he spent the night here on the way from Aquileia to Rome, an angel with the words " Pax tibi Marce Evangelista meus " him ( "Peace to you, Mark, my evangelist " ) welcomed. These words are consequently accompanied by most Venetian representations of the Lion of St. Mark.

In a city view of Jacopo de ' Barbari were found in 1500 at this point a Gothic church with cloister and attachments which are partly preserved. The date of construction of this church is not known.

The foundation of today's Renaissance church was laid in 1534. The original plan of Jacopo Sansovino foresaw a dome, this was changed by Sansovino himself in favor of the hall church now existing with five side chapels family. With the construction of the facade, which was already underway in 1565, Andrea Palladio was entrusted.

The richly appointed interior of the church houses works by Veronese ( Adoration of the Magi, Holy Family ), a Madonna by Giovanni Bellini, a Mary in Adoration of the Child by Antonio da Negroponte and marble reliefs by Pietro Lombardo. Next there are the tombs of Doge Andrea Gritti, Marcantonio Giustinian and Francesco and Alvise Contarini in San Francesco della Vigna.

In the sixth chapel ( Cappella Priuli ) of the left side of the nave there is a Marchiò Molziner of 1691 carved wooden statue of the Holy Paschal Baylon.

On one wall you read the following inscription: