San Barnaba, Venice, Former church in Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy
San Barnaba is a former church in the Dorsoduro district of Venice, built in a neoclassical style with a separate bell tower topped by a pine-cone shaped spire. The building faces directly onto Campo San Barnaba, one of the larger open squares in the neighborhood, flanked by residential buildings and small shops.
A church has stood on this site since the ninth century, though it was destroyed by fire in 1105 and rebuilt in 1350. The current neoclassical appearance dates from 1776, when architect Lorenzo Boschetti oversaw a full reconstruction of the structure.
The building now hosts temporary art exhibitions, giving visitors a chance to experience contemporary work inside a former place of worship. The square in front is lined with small workshops selling traditional Venetian masks, which are still crafted and sold there today.
The building sits directly on Campo San Barnaba and is easy to reach on foot from the nearby Rezzonico vaporetto stop. Since the interior is only open during temporary exhibitions, it is worth checking in advance whether something is currently on show.
The facade of San Barnaba was used as the entrance to a library in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where the hero breaks through the floor to find hidden catacombs beneath. Most people walking across the square have no idea they are standing in a Hollywood film location.
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