The Church of Santi Apostoli di Cristo, usually called “dei Santi Apostoli” is in Cannaregio district, in the namesake square, at the beginning of Strada Nuova.
The legend told by the historian Flaminio Corner, tells about a church built under the order of San Magno, bishop of Oderzo, who ravished seeing the twelve Apostles commanding him to build a church dedicated to them in a spot where he would have found twelve crane.
It looks like in the same area there had been a church dated back on the IX century but this theory seems to be just an intuition rather than a documented proof. The church was definitely existing in 1021, when it was rebuilt.
In the following centuries, there were many maintenance works, particularly in the ‘400, when they built a portico to protect the lateral façade, a sacristy and a beautiful Corner Chapel, by the great architect Mauro Codussi.
In 1575 the church was actually rebuilt rather than renovated. The project was of Alessandro Vittoria, who changed the church into a just one space with wall partition pillars between different altars. On the right the Corner Chapel and just a little further the sacristy.
In 1489 the queen of Cyprus Caterina Corner abdicated in favor of the Republic of Venice and came back to Venice with the remains of Sant’Ametisto, who was entomb in the beloved church of his ancestors.
The queen herself was entombed in the church of Santi Apostoli in 1510 but was then moved to the church of San Salvador during the rebuilding of the church in 1575.
Its interior is composed of one aisle with double order of pillars. At the right, you can find the first altar with the altarpiece Christ between angels, by Sebastiano Sarti (around 1828); just a little further the Corner Chapel with an hemispheric cupola decorated with refined marbles and enrollments to celebrate the noble family. You can admire the two Lombard style funeral monuments with the corpses of Marco and Giorgio Corner, father and son of the queen of Cyprus. On the altar the Holy Communion of St. Lucia by Giovanbattista Tiepolo stand out.
Beyond the chapel there is the second altar of the right side with The birth of the Virgin by Gerolamo Contarini (1599). On the presbytery you can find the major altar, between the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul by Francesco Lazzari. At its right The last Supper (1583) by Cesare da Conegliano, at its left The fall of Manna began by Paolo Veronese and completed by his colleagues after his death. In the two chapels beside the presbytery some frescos of the 14th century and the altarpiece The Guardian Angel by Francesco Maffei. On the left two altars with two high altarpieces are arranged. In the center of the ceiling ther are some works of the 18th century by Fabio Canal: The Holy Communion of the Apostles, The exalting of the Eucharist and four ovals of Evangelists.
The bell tower is recent; it was built from 1672 and completed under the project of Andrea Tirali in the second decade of the 18th century.
Useful information
Opening times:
every day from 8.30 am to 7 pm
Free entrance
Contacts: Tel.: +39 041-5238297
Address: Cannaregio 4542, Campo Santi Apostoli, 30131, Venezia
How to get there: water-bus, stop "Ca´ d´Oro"
Copyright Notice: these images have been sourced online. If you are the copyright holder and wish for it to be removed, please contact us.
