San Giacomo di Rialto, Romanesque church near Rialto Market, Venice, Italy.
San Giacomo di Rialto is a Romanesque church standing beside the Rialto Bridge with a Gothic portico and a central dome. Six ancient Greek marble columns support this dome, giving the building its distinctive appearance.
The church's origins trace back to 1071 during the founding of Rialto Market, though its first clear documentation appears in 1152. It developed as a spiritual center serving the merchants and bankers who gathered in the area.
Inscriptions on the church's outer walls encourage merchants to conduct fair business and honor their contracts. They reveal how important honesty in trade was to the community gathered around the market.
The church floor was raised in 1513 to prevent flooding from high tides, as the Rialto area sits at one of Venice's lowest points. This adaptation shows how the city tackled the challenge of building on water.
The church features an unusual clock with a single hand and a rotated clock face where noon appears on the left and midnight on the right. This rare design reflects how timekeeping varied across medieval installations.
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