Santa Maria Elisabetta, Catholic church in Lido district, Venice, Italy.
Santa Maria Elisabetta is a church on the Lido in Venice, dedicated to the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. Its facade is a simple gabled wall with a triangular pediment, a raised marble cornice and a marble portal with projecting entablature, flanked by two rectangular windows. Inside is a single rectangular nave with grey pilasters and Corinthian capitals framing four side altars under round arches.
An oratory dedicated to Santa Maria ad Elisabetta is documented from 1565 and was enlarged in 1620. On 21 January 1626 Patriarch Giovanni Tiepolo made it the parish church of Santa Maria Elisabetta, a status approved by Doge Giovanni I Corner on 10 September 1627; the first parish priest was Zaccaria Fagiola. Bishop Pietro Martire Rusca of Caorle consecrated the church on 7 July 1671.
The dedication refers to the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, and the 17th-century altarpiece shows the meeting between the two women, with Saint Joseph, Saint Zechariah, Saint Cajetan of Thiene and Saint Anthony. The parish was run by the heads of Lido families, who chose their own parish priest.
Visitors should know the church remains active for services and may not be freely accessible during worship times. It is best to check beforehand if visits outside service hours are possible.
The 1671 consecration by Bishop Pietro Martire Rusca of Caorle is recorded on a plaque above the marble portal, which visitors often walk past without looking up. The organ on the entrance wall is attributed to Pietro Nachini and has a single keyboard.
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