Sant'Antonin, Church building in Castello district, Venice, Italy
Sant'Antonin is a church on the Salizada Sant'Antonin in Castello, rebuilt in the second half of the 17th century and consecrated in 1680, with Baldassare Longhena as supervisor of the works. Its exterior is plain, with only a round window and the entrance portal noted; the interior has a square plan and a single nave, with a deep central chapel flanked by altars. The bell tower, finished in 1750, ends in an onion dome linked to the bell chamber by an octagonal drum.
The church was founded in the 7th century by the Badoer family and underwent major reconstruction in 1680 under architect Baldassare Longhena. These rebuilding efforts transformed the structure into the Baroque form that visitors see today.
The chapel of Saint Saba, on the left side, was renewed in 1593 with contributions from Melchisedech Longhena, Palma il Giovane, Alessandro Vittoria and Francesco Smeraldi. Its walls carry Palma's eight-painting cycle of the Stories of Saint Saba, and the altar holds Lazzaro Bastiani's Pietà, a youthful work brought from the suppressed church of San Severo. The chapel was the patronage of the Tiepolo family.
The church is no longer used for regular worship and is periodically opened for contemporary art exhibitions; the central chapel still hosts celebrations. It stands on the Salizada Sant'Antonin in Castello, a short walk from San Giovanni in Bragora. A twenty-year closure ended with the restoration completed in 2010.
The relics of Saint Sabbas, taken from Acre during the War of Saint Sabas, were returned to Greek Orthodox monks only in 1965. The chapel also holds Alvise Tiepolo's bust by Alessandro Vittoria, and Marin Sanudo dated the translation to 979 under Pietro Centranico.
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