There are some incredible churches in Venice - unfortunately, too many of them were "modernized" in the renaissance and many dont have much religious life in them any more because of the reduced number of venetians. lot of good reccs above - we particularly like S. Sebastiano in Dorsoduro, with its incredible veroneses - madonna del orto in canneregio with its tintorettos, the carmine church (dorsoduro also and San Francesco della Vigna (in a backwater way out in Castello toward the Fondamenta Nuove, has a nice cloister. There's another interesting church farther out in Canneregio with a nun's gallery. Many of these are still active parish churches which gives them a different quality than, say the Frari or Miracoli. Oh, and the Gesuiti nr Fondamenta Nuova (not the church with the similar name on the Zattere) with its walls carved to look like curtains. The churches that provide the great views from San Marco (San Giorgio, the Salute, Redentore, etc. are also really fine to visit.

Madonna all Orta (sp?) on the northshore of Cannaregio.

The cool thing about SS. Giovanni e Paolo is that courtyard/area around the church appears to be a neighborhood gathering spot, so you are likely to see kids with scooters, hoola hoops, etc. and their moms on benches watching them. It's nice to see even a tiny slice of "real life" in Venice.

VeeBee:

I won't say that St Mark's is "the best" place to celebrate mass (it's all in the eye of the beholder) but I prefer going there. I believe they hold it on Sundays on the hour from 7AM to Noon. Enter from the side door facing the Piazzetta dei Leoni (facing the front of the Basilica it's to the left.)

San Barnaba Church - just around the corner from the Ca Rezzonica vaporetto stop. They used the outside for images in Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade. It was the library where Indy found out that "X marks the spot" (the inside library shots were filmed in a studio). I don't know if the church is open to the public. It was closed when we were there. I can't say it's my favorite church, but no one else mentioned it, so I thought I would throw it in there.

HOLLY & LOVEITALY - My husband and I have very fond memories of the church near the train station, although we never knew the name. It was Sunday morning and we had 15-20 minutes to spare to catch a train. We heard singing coming from the church and decided to check it out. It was a very moving experience for both of us.

Enjoy your time in Venice. Peace, Robyn :)>-

S. Barnaba is open on workday mornings, till noon. It's - Indiana Jones apart, of course - less than memorable, though, as a piece of architecture.

The reference to "Gesuiti" on Zattere brings another amazing little church to my mind: S. Maria della Visitazione aka S. Girolamo dei Gesuati - a virtually unknown little jewel, though it's standing smack on busy Zattere, to the left of the big (and frankly: ugly) baroque church of Gesuati aka S. Maria del Rosario that seems to get all the attention. The nomenclature is really, really confusing here - on Zattere, it's the Gesuati, NOT Gesuiti (they're in Cannaregio, as mentioned above). The Gesuati were another religious order that had already been liquidated when the (nowadays much more famous) Gesuiti, the Jesuits, were founded. The original church of the Gesuati was S. Girolamo, later rebaptized S. Maria della Visitazione - a forlorn example of purest Tuscan/Umbrian early Renaissance in the middle of Venice, unparalleled anywhere in this region of Italy. THIS was originally the church whose name used to be shortened to "the Gesuati" in Venice. When the baroque monster beside was built, it was named S. Maria del Rosario, but the popular name was S. Maria ai Gesuati (i.e. near the Gesuati). And later again, the short name "Gesuati" was transferred to the big church, and the small one seems to be forgotten even by the Venetians, who get on and off the vaporetto right in front of it every day, Zattere being one of the main stops...

Btw, pardon the spelling error: must read Gesuitti, not Gesuiti (BUT Gesuati!).

Hi franco,

"amazing little church" is like a magnet to me. I will find Rosario and look to the left....any information on open hours???

Hi Traviata,

I've always found it open during normal Italian church hours, and no place in Venice is easier to find: just get out of the vaporetto at the Zattere stop, and there they are, the baroque church to the right, the Renaissance jewel to the left, immediately in front of you, directly on Zattere (the quai along Canale della Giudecca, I suppose you know).

Thank you franco....again!!

I will find it and I know it will be special.

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