The Church of the Eremitani (Italian: ''Chiesa degli Eremitani''), or Church of the Hermits, is a former- Augustinian, 13th-century

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

-style church in

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

, region of the Veneto,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It is also now notable for being adjacent to the Cappella Scrovegni with Giotto frescoes and the municipal archeology and art gallery: the ''

Musei Civici agli Eremitani The Musei Civici di Padova or degli Eremitani is a complex of museums and historic sites, centered on the former convent of the Eremitani (Augustinian order), and its famous Cappella degli Scrovegni with its Giotto fresco masterpieces. The comp ...

'', which is housed in the former Augustinian monastery located to the left of the entrance.

History

The Augustinian hermit

friars A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the o ...

, precursors of the present

Order of Saint Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

had arrived in Padua in 1237. Through the patronage of both the wife of the local nobleman Zaccaria dell'Arena and the city, the church was erected between 1260 and 1276 and dedicated to the saints

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...

and James. The friars would remain in the administration of the monastery and church until 1806, when the Napoleonic rule suppressed the order and closed the monastery. The church was re-opened to services in 1808, and in 1817 reformulated into a parish church. The facade is tall with a rose window. A 15th-century side portal has bas-reliefs depicting the months, completed by Nicolò Baroncelli. The interior has a single nave. The church no longer houses the famed Ovetari Chapel frescoes, depicting scenes from the lives of Saints James and

Christopher Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or " Anointed", and φέρε� ...

, painted 1448-1457 by the Renaissance painter Mantegna. The chapel was largely destroyed by a March 1944 aerial bombardment by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, because it was next to a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

headquarters. There are more than 88000 fragments covering only 77 m2, while the original area covered several hundreds. The church still preserves frescoes from other painters including

Guariento Guariento di Arpo (13101370), sometimes incorrectly referred to as Guerriero, was a 14th-century painter whose career was centered in Padua. The painter is buried in the church of San Bernardino, Padua. Guariento's major commissions in Padua i ...

and Ansuino da Forlì. The church contains the tombs of Jacopo II da Carrara (d.1351) and Ubertino da Carrara (d.1345)

da Carrara The House of Carrara or Carraresi (da Carrara) was an important family of northern Italy in the 12th to 15th centuries. The family held the title of Lords of Padua from 1318 to 1405. Under their rule, Padua conquered Verona, Vicenza, Trevi ...

, lords of Padua, both by Andriolo de Santi (de Sanctis) and others. They were formerly in the church of Sant'Agostino, but were moved here after that church was razed in 1819.

Gallery

Church of the Eremitani (Padua) - Interior.jpg, The nave Church of the Eremitani (Padua) - Interior Tomb of Jacopo II da Carrara.jpg, Tomb of Jacopo II da Carrara Church of the Eremitani (Padua) - Interior - Mausoleo di Marco Mantova Benavides by Bartolomeo Ammannati.jpg, Mausoleum of Marco Mantua Bonavides Church of the Eremitani (Padua) - Interior Tomb of Ubertino da Carrara.jpg, Tomb of Ubertino da Carrara

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church Of The Eremitani Churches completed in 1276 Eremitani Augustinian churches in Italy Gothic architecture in Padua 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy