San Giacomo, Minor basilica and parish church in Chioggia, Italy.
San Giacomo is a church in Chioggia with a rectangular layout, multiple altars positioned along the walls, and soaring ceilings. Inside, it holds religious artworks and frescoes that frame the interior space.
An 11th-century church with three brick-columned naves stood here until its apse collapsed on the night of 24-25 November 1741. In 1742 the cathedral works approved a design by Venetian architect Pietro Pelle, who was also rebuilding San Domenico in Chioggia; his nephew Domenico Pelle completed it. Pope Pius X raised it to minor basilica in 1906 under the title Beata Vergine della Navicella.
The northern wall displays painted tablets called 'tolèle' showing ships and storms at sea. These works recall local stories of people who experienced help while on the water.
Visitors can enter the church during regular opening hours and view the interior furnishings. It helps to check local hours in advance, as these can vary by season.
The 223-square-metre ceiling fresco of Saint James's martyrdom and glorification was painted by the Vicenza brothers Alessandro and Romualdo Mauri, who did the martyrdom below, and the Chioggia painter Antonio Marinetti, who painted the ascent to Heaven. Above the high altar, a lunette shows the Madonna's 1508 apparition to Baldissera Zalon.
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