San Francesco della Vigna, Renaissance church in Castello, Venice, Italy.
San Francesco della Vigna is a Renaissance church located in the Castello district with a distinctive brick facade and large window openings. The interior follows a Latin cross layout with a single nave, five deep chapels on each side, and a barrel-vaulted ceiling without a dome.
Doge Andrea Gritti initiated reconstruction in 1534 with Jacopo Sansovino designing the structure. Andrea Palladio completed the white stone facade around 1570, giving the building its distinctive Renaissance appearance.
The Grimani family chapel displays ceiling frescoes by Battista Franco and wall paintings by Federico Zuccari, reflecting how wealthy Venetian families decorated their private prayer spaces. You can see how these commissioned works served as statements of power and devotion for the noble families who funded them.
The church is accessible to visitors daily and can be reached on foot from the Celestia vaporetto stop. Plan enough time to explore the different chapels and artworks at a relaxed pace.
According to local tradition, Saint Mark received an angelic message at this location during a storm upon his return from Aquileia. The site was originally a vineyard, which inspired the sanctuary's name.
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