Church of the Madonna dell'Orto in Venice
Built towards the mid-fourteenth century and originally dedicated to St. Christopher, the church was later named “Madonna dell'Orto” (Madonna of the Garden) by the people on account of a statue of the Madonna that was placed there and deemed to be miraculous.
Between 1483 and 1503, a Renaissance portal by Bartolomeo Bon was added, as was the open brick bulb-shaped bell tower, the only one of its kind.
From 1552 to 1569, Tintoretto painted ten works here. Of these the two large canvases depicting the Adoration of the Golden Calf and the Last Judgment, which can be regarded as Venice’s answer to Michelangelo, are worthy of particular note.
On the other hand, the outer doors of the organ depict the Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple, and were later combined into a single canvas. The inner doors portray St. Peter’s Vision of the Cross and the Decollation of St. Paul, now located to the rear of the presbytery.
Visitors can also admire the Four Cardinal Virtues in the semi-dome of the apse, subdivided into Justice and Temperance and Prudence and Strength.
There are also various works by Palma il Giovane, the Martyrdom of St. Lawrence by Daniele Van Den Dyck and the wooden altarpiece by Cima da Conegliano depicting St. John the Baptist amidst St. Peter, Mark, Jerome, and Paul.
Chiesa della Madonna dell'Orto
Cannaregio 2022
30121 Venice - Italy
Tel. +39 041 5208807
www.madonnadellorto.org
info@madonnadellorto.org
