church of San Simeone Piccolo
The church of the Saints Simeon and Jude, or San Simeon Piccolo, in Venice, in the district of Santa Croce next to the Grand Canal, was founded in the 9th century by the Adoldi and Briosi families and consecrated in 1271. In the 16th century, it underwent a complete reconstruction.
In 1718, the architect Giovanni Scalfarotto led a second reconstruction, completed in 1738.
The building, often compared to the Pantheon in Rome, shows influences of neoclassical architecture, but details such as the bi-apsidal presbytery evoke later works. The dome, of Veneto-Byzantine style, and the circular pronaos are inspired by Roman models, while the crypt follows the model of early Christian catacombs.
Inside, artworks such as "The Martyrdom of the Saints" by Francesco Cabianca and paintings by artists like Mattia Bortoloni enrich the altars. The sacristy houses a crucifix attributed to Giovanni Marchiori. Beneath the church, an underground area decorated with scenes of the Via Crucis and the Old Testament, and twenty-one chapels, some unexplored, add charm to this Venetian place of worship.