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Photo: Travel: Italy: Venice: Churches: Santa Maria Assunta

Santa Maria Assunta (Gesuiti), Cannaregio, Venice

Exhuberant baroque as only the Jesuits can build it, this building is truly beautiful even though some find its marble-clad interior rather bombastic. The single-nave structure is very light and focuses on the main altar with solomonic columns and a beautiful sculptural group of Jesus and God the Father sitting on a globe. The somewhat overdone composition competes for attention with the elaborately stuccoed barrel vault but the highlights are the altars adorned by paintings by Titian and Tintoretto (at least for me). The beautiful baroque scultptures of the archangels by Torretti are also not to be missed. Photography is not allowed. There is a free murkily photocopied booklet describing the interior.

The Facade From the Southwest (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statues of the Apostles On the Facade (Monday, March 10th 2008) Corinthian Columns and the Heavy Architrave by Fattoretto (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statue of an Apostle On the Architrave Supported by Corinthian Columns (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statue of One of the Apostles in a Niche On the Facade (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statue of St Andrew in a Nice On the Facade (Monday, March 10th 2008) Broken Segmental Pediment Over the Doorway (Monday, March 10th 2008)
The Doorway (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statue of St Peter (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statue of One of the Apostles in a Niche On the Facade (Monday, March 10th 2008) The Second Order and the Triangular Tympanum with the Asssumption of the Virgin (Monday, March 10th 2008) Baroque Facade by Giambattista Fattoretto (Monday, March 10th 2008) The Doorway Framed by Corithnian Columns and Surmounted by a Broken Pediment (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statues of Apostles On the Second Order of the Facade (Monday, March 10th 2008)
The Assumption of the Virgin On the Main Triangular Tympanum (Monday, March 10th 2008) The Barrel Vault of the Single Nave Looking East to the Chancel (Monday, March 10th 2008) Titian's 'Martyrdom of St Lawrence' (Monday, March 10th 2008) 'Guardian Angels' by Palma Il Giovane (Monday, March 10th 2008) Sculpture of St Barbara by Morlaiter (Monday, March 10th 2008) Madonna and Child Sculpture by Andrea dell'Aquila Da Trento (Monday, March 10th 2008) 'Virgin Mary with Three Jesuit Saints' by Balestra (Monday, March 10th 2008)
'Sacred Heart' by Alessandro Revera, Copy of Batoni (Monday, March 10th 2008) The Main Altar by Giuseppe Pozzo (Monday, March 10th 2008) 'Assumption of the Virgin' by Jacopo Tintoretto (Monday, March 10th 2008) The Barrel Vault with Stucco Decoration by Abbondio Stazio (Monday, March 10th 2008) Ceiling Frescoes by Francesco Fontebasso Angels and Abraham and Elijah Carried in Chariot (Monday, March 10th 2008) 'The Savior and Eternal Father On Top of the Globe' by Giuseppe Torretti On the Main Altar (Monday, March 10th 2008) 'Preaching of St Francis Xavier' by Pietro Liberi (Monday, March 10th 2008)
The Nave From the South Chapel Next to the Presbytery (Monday, March 10th 2008) Funeral Monument for Orazio Farnese in the South Chapel (Monday, March 10th 2008) Side Altar with Tintoretto's 'Assumption of the Virgin' (Monday, March 10th 2008) 'Glory to the Angels' by Louis Dorigny Fresco Above the Crossing (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statue of Archangel Uriel by Torretti (Monday, March 10th 2008) Elaborate Stucco Decoration by Abbondio Stazio On the Vault (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statue of Archangel Raphael by Torretti (Monday, March 10th 2008)
The Solomonic Columns of the Main Altar by Pozzo (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statue of Archangel Michael by Torretti (Monday, March 10th 2008) Statue of St Ignatius Loyola by Pietro Baratta (Monday, March 10th 2008) Crossing Fresco by Louis Dorigny (Monday, March 10th 2008) 'The Savior and Eternal Father On Top of the Globe' by Giuseppe Torretti (Monday, March 10th 2008) 'The Death of St Joseph' by Domenico Clavarino in the North Chapel Next to the Presbytery (Monday, March 10th 2008) Presbytery and Crossing Vault Frescoes by Louis Dorigny (Monday, March 10th 2008)
Pediments of the Altar to St Ignatius Loyola (Monday, March 10th 2008) The Single Nave Interior Looking Toward the Main Altar (Monday, March 10th 2008) The Main Altar by Pozzo and Tabernacle Inlaid with Lapis Lazuli (Monday, March 10th 2008)