SAN ZANIPOLO, The Square

Hi, I'm Ed, your personal guide. Together with MyWoWo, I'd like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world.

Today I'll accompany you through the Basilica of Saints John and Paul.

The Basilica of San Zanìpolo is one of the most spectacular churches in Venice!

You are near one of the jewels of the city's Gothic architecture. The church of Saints John and Paul, known by the Venetians as San Zanìpolo, was built in 1200 by the Dominicans in this large field of the Castello district as a response to the equally monumental Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari built by the Franciscans a few years earlier. Today you can still note how the two big Gothic monasteries are located in symmetrical positions on opposite banks of the Grand Canal. The two most important monastic orders of the Church were in competition for many reasons, and their respective areas of influence in the city were divided. Besides being the largest Venetian church, the Doges were traditionally buried at San Zanipolo, and therefore it was considered the guardian of civic memories and center of the city's spirit. In fact, its immediate surroundings are full of charitable public and private complexes that are artistically prized, such as the Scuola Grande di San Marco and the beggars' hospital. I'll discuss the monument in front of the church dedicated to the leader Bartolomeo Colleoni in the next audio guide. Note the contrast between the church and the houses around it, which are of modest size and have a normal appearance....