Church of Santa Maria del Giglio

Following the Venice floods of 1966, the International Fund for Monuments (now World Monuments Fund), raised one-hundred thousand dollars for the restoration of the church of Santa Mari del Giglio, repairing the roof, consolidating the façade, and restoring interior decorations damaged by the rising waters.  Construction of the original church began as early as 1500. Then, in 1679, the patron Antonio Barbaro left provisions in his will to create a new façade, which has been widely criticized by architectural historians ever since for its profusion of ornament. Yet the building has since become a staple of the Campo. During the course of the restoration, extensive repairs were made to the exterior walls and a number of works by minor masters were conserved, attesting to the flowering of Venetian painting during the 18th century.