San Tomà, Venice, Baroque church in San Polo district, Venice, Italy.
San Tomà is a single-nave church in the San Polo district of Venice, facing the Scoletta dei Calegheri. Its classical facade, rebuilt from 1742 by Francesco Bognolo, carries five statues carved by Francesco Cabianca between 1696 and 1699: the Incredulity of Saint Thomas at the top, flanked by Saints Peter and James. Inside, the ceiling fresco of the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas is by Jacopo Guarana within Giuseppe Moretti's painted frames.
Founded in 973 as a church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus, with an adjoining convent, it was first rebuilt in 1395. In 1538 it was reconstructed with three naves and dedicated to Saint Thomas. The Baroque facade was completed in 1652 by Giuseppe Sardi on a design perhaps by Baldassare Longhena; after demolition from 1742, Francesco Bognolo rebuilt it in a classicising style, reusing the 1696–1699 sculptures by Francesco Cabianca.
The name San Tomà is Venetian for Saint Thomas the Apostle. The altarpiece on the second altar on the left, painted by Giovanni Fazioli in 1789 or earlier, shows Saint Mark healing the shoemaker Anianus; it belonged to the nearby Scuola dei Calegheri, the shoemakers' guild, and replaced a painting by Palma il Giovane.
The church can be reached on foot across a small square and is located near local guild buildings. Since this is an active place of worship, visitors should dress respectfully and keep noise to a minimum.
A medieval tomb on the exterior wall shows Giovanni Priuli, a 14th-century military figure, in an unusual pose. His feet rest on a small dog, an odd and striking detail that many visitors miss.
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