Project

From the ninth century until 1807, when Saint Mark’s Basilica became Venice’s official cathedral, the Church of San Pietro di Castello functioned as the spiritual and administrative religious center of the city. (...)

From the ninth century until 1807, when Saint Mark’s Basilica became Venice’s official cathedral, the Church of San Pietro di Castello functioned as the spiritual and administrative religious center of the city. Erected on the island of Castello at the eastern edge of the Venetian lagoon, the Church of San Pietro underwent several renovations and reconstructions during its long history. In the 1480s, the architect Mauro Codussi (also known as Coducci) largely rebuilt the church’s bell tower with white Istrian stone. Andrea Palladio planned modifications to the structure again in the late 1550s, though his designs were not fully executed. At the end of the 16th century, the architects Francisco Smeraldi and Giovanni Grapiglia completed a new façade for the Church. Three hundred years later, after losing its preeminent spot to St. Mark’s, San Pietro fell into a state of relative neglect. The church was firebombed during the First World War and, though rebuilt, continued to decline due to insufficient funding and general neglect.