Altars

For general information see Altar

Venice's churches are home to many altars across the city, with most churches containing many. Even a relatively small church such as the Church of S. Zulian in San Marco has seven altars. Many altars house great works of art, mainly paintings and and some sculptures. Many altars also contain relics, or objects that hold religious significance because they are connected to a saint or Christ. All information in this article refers to the altars of publicly accessible churches.

Dedication

A side altar in Church of San Martino di Burano dedicated in honor of S. Antonio di Padova

Altars are frequently dedicated in honor of specific canonized saints. Venice has 331 altars which are dedicated to a saint, with 133 different saints among these. The most common saint altars were dedicated to was the Virgin Mary (Santa Maria) with 87 altars, followed by St. Anthony of Padua (San Antonio di Padova) with 29.

Chart showing the number of times a saint had an altar dedicated to them, for saints with over 4 altars

Patronage

Altars are sometimes sponsored by guilds, scuole, or by wealthy families. 102 altars can be verified as being patronized, with 71 from families and 31 from scuole. The families which sponsored multiple altars are: Morosini with five; Grimani with four; Giustiani and Corner with three; and Contarini, Foscari, Martini, Pesaro, and Molin with two. It is believed that the actual number of altars with patrons is much higher, but little of this information is available or accessible.

Relics

A side altar in Church of San Zaccaria containing the bodies of S. Zaccaria and S. Anthanasius

Altars frequently contain the relics, either on display or stored inside of the altar. There are 62 altars that contain relics, with some containing multiple for a total of 71 relics in just the altars. These relics include the full or partial bodies of 46 saints, the bones of 6 saints, and other assorted body parts or objects. Some stand out relics include: the blood of Christ, the body of St. Mark (San Marco), the hand of St. James the Apostle (San Giacomo Apostolo), the holy nail, the tooth of St. Pantaleon (San Pantalon), and the foot of St. Catherine of Siena (San Caterina di Siena).

Artwork

Altars house artwork that frequently depict the life of Christ and the saints, by many well known painters...