Carmini, Gothic Revival church building in Vicenza, Italy

The Carmini, or church of Santa Croce in San Giacomo Maggiore, stands on Piazza dei Carmini at the end of Corso Fogazzaro. Its exterior is red brick with white stone geometric patterns, and semicircular projections on the sides mark the lateral chapels. Inside is a single nave with side chapels, a 19th-century vault painted as a starry sapphire-blue sky, and four 15th- and 16th-century altars from the demolished church of San Bartolomeo.

Bishop Giovanni de Surdis founded the church in 1372, entrusting it to the Carmelites, who received parochial rights in 1385. It was rebuilt in Gothic form with three naves between 1420 and 1425, then reduced to a single nave between 1720 and 1730. The Carmelites left in 1806 under Napoleon, and the parish merged with Santa Croce. Between 1862 and 1867 Friedrich Schmidt rebuilt it in Neo-Gothic style.

The nickname "dei Carmini" comes from the Carmelite friars, who were given the church in 1372 and kept it until a Napoleonic decree removed them in 1806; the parish kept the popular name. The church was also called Santa Maria dei Carmini after the order's patroness, the Madonna del Carmelo. A plaque in the first chapel on the right records the foundation by Bishop Giovanni de Surdis.

The church is located on Corso Fogazzaro and easily accessible by public transportation with bus stops nearby. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes and be aware that entry may be limited during religious services or private events.

A side portal on Corso Fogazzaro came from the Church of San Bartolomeo and was relocated during a construction phase. This reuse shows how medieval elements were incorporated into the later structure.