Paola Modesti , VIU

“And I marvelled greatly to see the placement of this city and to see so many church towers and monasteries … It is the most sumptuous city which I have ever seen … and the one in which the service of God is celebrated most solemnly. … I do believe that God helps them for the reverence which they bring to the service of the church” ( Philippe de Commynes , French ambassador, 1494).

“Temple fronts shall be constructed overlooking most of the city, so that it seems that religion has been placed there like a guard and protector of the citizens” (Andrea Palladio, The Four Books on Architecture , 1570).

This course investigates the churches of Venice, from San Marco (9 th century on) to Santa Maria della Salute (17 th century), to study Venetian ecclesiastical architecture in its historical context and manifold aspects. Among the course topics are: Venetian society and Venetian church, the function of churches in the construction of the city and of its image, San Marco and the Cathedral, the architecture of parish churches, the churches of monasteries and convents, the churches of the mendicant orders, the role of confraternities, votive churches, the impact of Counter Reformation on Venetian churches. Attention will be paid to functions, rituals, uses and perceptions of churches. We will consider painting, sculpture and furnishings in relation to architecture as well as the works of architects, such as Codussi, Sansovino, Palladio and Longhena.

Teaching method
Interactive lectures; seminars and on-site seminars lead by small groups of students.

Course requirements and evaluation
There are no prerequisites but the knowledge of one recommended preliminary reading.
All students are required to accomplish the assigned readings (course pack) in order to participate actively to lectures and seminars. Creditor students shall also lead at least one seminar according to a seminar schedule which will be defined at the beginning of the course. Grade will be based on: class participation (20% of grade); seminar/visit (30%); a written mid-term exam (essay questions based on slides – 20%) and an oral final exam (30%). The final exam consists in an oral presentation of a research paper (the topic shall be decided in consultation with the instructor).

Recommended preliminary reading
- Rosand, David, Myths of Venice. The Figuration of a State , Chapel Hill and London 2001.

Reference bibliography
- Chambers, David S., The Imperial Age of Venice , London 1970.
- Romano, Dennis, Patricians and Popolani. The Social Foundations of the Venetian Renaissance State, Baltimore and London 1987, esp. the chapter “The Parochial Clergy and Communities of the Sacred”, pp. 91-118.
- Goffen, Rona, Piety and Patronage in Renaissance Venice: Bellini, Titian, and the Franciscans , New Haven and London 1986.
- Tafuri, Manfredo, Venice and the Renaissance , Cambridge Mass. and London 1989.
- Huse, Norbert and Wolters, Wolfgang, The Art of Renaissance Venice. Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting, 1460-1590 , Chicago and London 1990, esp. the chapter “Sacred Buildings”, pp. 72-103.
- Chambers, David and Pullan, Brian, Venice: A Documentary History , 1450-1630, Oxford 1992.
- Humfrey, Peter, The Altarpiece of Renaissance Venice , New Haven and London 1993.
- Rosand, David, Painting in Cinquecento Venice: Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto , [first printed New Haven and London 1982] Cambridge, New York, Melbourne 1997, esp. the chapter “Titian and the Challenge of the Altarpiece”, pp. 35-61.
- Concina, Ennio, A History of Venetian Architecture , Cambridge, New York, Melbourne 1998.
- Pincus, Debra, The Tombs of the Doges of Venice , Cambridge and New York, 2000.
- Hopkins, Andrew, Santa Maria della Salute. Architecture and Ceremony in Baroque Venice , Cambridge 2000.
- Wolters, Wolfgang, Architektur und Ornament: venezianischer Bauschmuck der Renaissance , München 2000, esp. chapters “Malereien in Kirchen und Klöstern” and “Die Ausstattung Venezianischer Kirchen”, pp. 176-201 (a translation into English will be available).
- Howard, Deborah, The Architectural History of Venice , revised and enlarged edition, New Haven and London 2002.