San Simeone Piccolo (also called San Simeone e Giuda) is a church in the

sestiere A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...

of Santa Croce in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, northern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. From across the Grand Canal it faces the railroad terminal serving as entrypoint for most visitors to the city.

History

Built in 1718–38 by Giovanni Antonio Scalfarotto, the church shows the emerging

eclecticism Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories i ...

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...

. It accumulates academic architectural quotations, much like the contemporaneous

Karlskirche The Karlskirche (English: Charles Church) is a Baroque architecture, Baroque church in the Karlsplatz in Vienna, Austria. The church is dedicated to Charles Borromeo, Saint Charles Borromeo, a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation.Brook 201 ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Wittkower, in his monograph, acknowledges San Simeone is modeled on the Pantheon with a temple-front

pronaos A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cultu ...

, on the other hand, the peaked dome recalls Longhena's more embellished and prominent

Santa Maria della Salute Santa Maria della Salute (; ), commonly known simply as La Salute (), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located at the Punta della Dogana in the Dorsoduro sestiere of the city of Venice, Italy. It stands on the narrow finger of Pun ...

church. The centralized circular church design and the metal dome recalls Byzantine models and

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Piazza San Marco, Saint Mar ...

, though the numerous centrifugal chapels are characteristic of Post-Tridentine churches. This was one of the last churches built in Venice, in one of its poorer

sestieri A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed ac ...

. The pediment of the entrance has a marble relief depicting "The Martyrdom of the Saints" by

Francesco Penso Francesco Penso called "Cabianca" (1665? — 1737) was an Italian sculptor. His earliest known work is the marble ''St. Benedict'' (1695) for San Michele in Isola, Venice. His best-known work is the reliquary (1711), with bas-reliefs of the Cruc ...

, known as "il Cabianca." Saint Simon was apparently the martyred cousin of Christ, martyred as a Jew by the Romans. The mass is celebrated according to the 1962 Roman Missal by the

Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (; FSSP) is a traditionalist Catholic society of apostolic life for priests and seminarians. It is in communion with the Holy See. It was founded in 1988 by 12 former members of the Society of Saint Pius X ...

Design and architecture

The church has a Neoclassic style, with an oval cup dome, specially designed with the intent of making the church seem larger than it actually is. It also goes slightly underground, where there lies some religious depictions and paintings. Around the interior of San Simeone Piccolo there are several altar rooms, notorious for minor operas. On these altars some other artworks by

Antonio Marinetti Antonio Marinetti, also called ''il Chiozzotro'' (Chioggia, born circa 1700) was an Italian painter, active in a late-Baroque style. ''Ragazzo con mela'' - Ca' Rezzonico, Venice Biography He was a pupil of Giovanni Battista Piazzetta. He painte ...

, Francesco Polazzo, and others. Today, some parts of the building are forbidden from public visitation.

References

San Simeon Piccolo's Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simone Piccolo Roman Catholic churches in Venice 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1738 Neoclassical architecture in Venice Churches used by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Centralized-plan churches in Italy Neoclassical church buildings in Italy