Carmini, Renaissance church building in Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy
Santa Maria dei Carmini is a brick church in Dorsoduro featuring a facade decorated with carved stone reliefs that portray Carmelite saints and figures. The interior walls of the nave display a series of large paintings created over several generations, showing the evolution of artistic styles across centuries.
The church was founded in 1286 as the Carmelite order established itself in Venice and became a major center of religious life. Between 1507 and 1514, the interior was substantially rebuilt, giving the building its current Renaissance character.
This church served as the spiritual heart of the Carmelite community in Venice and remains a place where visitors encounter layers of religious devotion through art. The interior spaces reveal how Venetian worshippers experienced faith across different time periods through the works displayed on the walls.
The church is located in the Dorsoduro neighborhood and sits near the Scuola Grande dei Carmini, making it easy to find on foot. The bell tower topped with a Madonna statue serves as a helpful landmark when navigating the area.
A stone relief carved in 1340 and showing the Madonna and Child adorns the entrance to the church cloister, making it one of the oldest surviving artworks in this space. This piece displays an earlier artistic approach quite different from the later works found inside the main building.
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