San Zaccaria, Venice

San Zaccaria is a holy Zacharias consecrated church that belonged to a convent of the same name. It is located in the traditional district ( Sestriere, city -sixth ) Castello in Venice. At the parish church of San Zaccaria, the Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore is one on the island of the same name, although the island to the district of San Marco belongs.

History of the monastery and church

The convent of San Zaccaria was next to the convent of San Lorenzo, the oldest and most important of the Venetian nunneries, in which the rich Venetians their unmarried daughters, equipped with a good dowry brought under. The alleged founding of the monastery by the Byzantine Emperor Leo V, called the Armenians, is a legend. Rather, the monastery was probably founded in the 9th century by the Venetian Doge Giustiniano ( Parteciaco or Partecipazio ), in the Testament of 828/829, it is first mentioned.

After the inauguration of the exhibition 864 Doge Pietro Tradonico leaving the church was killed by conspirators. Another Doge Vitale Michiel II, was murdered on May 28, 1172 in the immediate vicinity of the church.

The monastery was rich wealthy, especially in the city of Venice itself, where the 14th century, according to sources had 153 houses, but also on the Terraferma, notably in Monselice in the area of ​​Padua and Ronco in the territory of Verona. Both the grounds on which stands the church of St. Mark, as well as a large part of present-day Piazza San Marco originally belonged to the possession of San Zaccaria.

The monastery had always close relations with the Doge ( eight Doges were buried here in the 9th - 11th century) and always enjoyed the appreciation by the Venetian Signoria, who visited the monastery at Easter in a solemn procession. In the course of secularization by Napoleon, the monastery buildings were converted into a barracks, which is now used by the Carabinieri. The church was not affected by the secularization and now serves as a parish church.

Architectural History

The decorative facade was begun around 1458 by Antonio Gambelli and from 1483 in the last two decades of the 15th century. completed by Mauro Codussi. The large newer church building closes to the left to an older predecessor of 1440. The two churches are not isolated but side by side, but go, as occurred occasionally overlap. The left aisle of the elderly has been transformed to the right of the higher younger church. This latter construction is in its present form actually gothic - hence the height - what is outside but hardly noticed. The reason is that the basic pattern of the Gothic facade is dominated by the Renaissance motifs of the upper facade half. The three-aisled nave and polygonal choir have already been created in the first phase.

Interior decoration

Bellini Sacra Conversazione

The main attraction of the church and one of the most beautiful Renaissance painting is ever painted Sacra Conversazione by Giovanni Bellini in 1505, or about the same time as Leonardo's Mona Lisa. Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516) is the main champion of the early Venetian Renaissance. He has become famous in the history of art by the brilliant, warm colors of his paintings, which have been lost none of its luster.

At Bellini's picture can be a part of example, the principles according to which in the Renaissance paintings were composed, explain the other hand, even at this early image of a typical Venetian painting fusion of colors and effect of plasticity solely by the color, and not by the " disegno " as the Florentines show. One of the main problems with which the painters of the time apart translated in theory and practice, was the presentation of a credible space on a flat surface with the help of central perspective. They preferred a clear, concise order the picture by significant horizontal and vertical elements, such as the architecture of the image or by the upstanding people on the stresses horizontal floor and clearly distinguishable divorced individual motifs.

The painted architecture is at Bellini not a mere background film but sets its own counter accents to the front group of the saints. The upper part of the image engages with its elaborate description of an American Architecture on the actual image frame for which it was designed and in which it is still today. If you look closely you will notice that the two pilasters outermost and the overlay sheets are not painted. This is already the church wall. So this picture is a direct reference to the architecture of the church.

The image is created strictly symmetrical: the center of the image is clearly emphasized by the seated on a throne and Mary by the angel who plays music at her feet. The two groups of people on the sides are arranged symmetrically to the head position of women. Shown is the Apostle Peter in his typical colors of yellow and blue, his key and a book of dressed in red church father Jerome, and behind him St. Lucy of Syracuse, with the glass in which to swim both her eyes and finally the Saint Catherine with the palm of martyrdom and the symbol of her martyrdom, the wheel

Bellini shows his characters in great calm and stateliness, each is a tectonic structure in itself. The image is evenly lit and the motifs are carefully distributed across the image area - and all in wonderful bright colors. Here we have the classic Venetian Renaissance picture in front of us.