Santa Tecla is the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

-style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

duomo or main church in the town of Este, province of Padua, region of

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

, Italy.

History

A church at the site dates likely to the 4th or 5th centuries, when a church was erected upon the ruins of a former pagan temple, and dedicated to Saint

Thecla Thecla (, ) was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal '' Acts of Paul and Thecla''. Church tradition The ''Acts of Paul and Thecla ...

, a virgin and martyr from Anatolia. The cathedral has been refurbished over the centuries. It was rebuilt in the 8th century till possessing five naves. The church was reconsecrated by Pope

Leo IX Pope Leo IX (, , 21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historica ...

in 1052. Until the 16th century, the layout continued to have the apse in the east. During a refurbishment during 1583 to 1592, designed by

Vincenzo Scamozzi Vincenzo Scamozzi (2 September 1548 – 7 August 1616) was an Italians, Italian architect and a writer on architecture, active mainly in Vicenza and Republic of Venice area in the second half of the 16th century. He was perhaps the most importan ...

, the facade was re-oriented. After an earthquake in 1688 damaged the church, and a complete reconstruction was promoted by the town archpriest Marco Marchetti, using designs for an elliptical nave with a tall cupola, by the Venetian architect Antonio Gaspari. Work begun in 1690 with the blessing of the bishop Gregorio Barbarigo, and was completed in 1720 with consecration by Cardinal Rezzonico, the future Pope

Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII (; ; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. He was installed on 16 July 1758. ...

. The facade was never completed, and remains in rough brick. The lower part of the bell-tower dates to the 8th century, but it was raised to its present height in 1724 by the architect Rossi. Santa Tecla libera Este dalla pestilenza - Tiepolo

Santa Tecla libera Este dalla pestilenza - Tiepolo

The main altarpiece is a masterwork by

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( , ; 5 March 1696 – 27 March 1770), also known as Giambattista (or Gianbattista) Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an import ...

, depicting ''Santa Tecla prays for the Liberation of Este from the Plague'' (1759). In the right of the presbytery, in the Chapel of the Holiest Sacrament, is a marble sculptural group depicting the ''Triumph of the Eucharist'' by

Antonio Corradini Antonio Corradini (19 October 1688 – 12 August 1752) was an Italians, Italian Rococo sculptor from Venice. He is best known for his illusory veiled depictions of the human body, where the contours of the face and body beneath the veil are disc ...

, including a veiled female representing Faith. In the left chapel, is a 17th-century wooden crucifix by Francesco Terilli. The marble statues at the base, depicting Mary Magdalen hugging the cross with the Madonna upheld by Maria Salome, were sculpted about a century later by

Bernardo Falconi Bernardo is a given name, possibly derived from the Germanic Bernhard. It may refer to: People * Bernardo the Japanese (died 1557), early Japanese Christian convert and disciple of Saint Francis Xavier * Bernardo Accolti (1465–1536), Italian ...

. The nave ceiling has a depiction of the ''Martyrdom of Santa Tecla'' by

Jacopo Amigoni Jacopo Amigoni (c. 1685 – September 1752), also named Giacomo Amiconi, was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque or Rococo period, who began his career in Venice, but traveled and was prolific throughout Europe, where his sumptuous portraits ...

. In the second altar to the right of the entrance is a glass urn with the body of the blessed Beatrice I d'Este (1191-1226). Upon the altar, is a 19th-century canvas depicting the ''Virgin, St John the Baptist and the Blessed Beatrice d'Este'', by

Michelangelo Grigoletti Girolamo Michelangelo Grigoletti (29 August 1801 – 11 February 1870) was an Italian painter, active in a Neoclassical style. He was also a professor at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia. Biography Grigoletti was born at Rorai Grande, ...

. Other paintings are housed in the Sacristy and in the Oratory of San Valentino, which is connected by a formal stairs and vestibule, and include a ''Madonna'' by Andrea del Sarto; ''Flagellation of Christ'' attributed to Durer; and other paintings by

Giovanni Battista Zelotti Giovanni Battista Zelotti (; 1526 – 28 August 1578) was an Italians, Italian Painting, painter of the late Renaissance, active in Venice and her mainland territories. He appears to have been born in Verona, then part of the Venetian mainla ...

Antonio Zanchi Antonio Zanchi (; 6 December 1631 – 12 April 1722) was an Italian painter of the Baroque, active mainly in Venice, but his prolific works can also be seen in Padova, Treviso, Rovigo, Verona, Vicenza, Loreto, Brescia, Milano, and Bergamo, a ...

, Luca da Reggio, and Tiepolo.G. Chiesi, page 436.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tecla Este Baroque architecture in Veneto 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches in Este, Veneto Centralized-plan churches in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1720