Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Venice

About this place

Santa Maria dei Miracoli is a church in the sestiere of Cannaregio, in Venice, Italy, designed in 1481 by Renaissance architect Pietro Lombardo and his sons Tullio and Antonio. It was completed in 1489. In the second half of the 15th century, a votive painting stood on the street at the corner of the home of the Venetian silk merchant Angelo Amadi. The work had been commissioned in 1408 from Niccolò di Pietro by Amadi's ancestor Francesco, alongside a similar piece ordered from Gentile da Fabriano. Regarded as miraculous by local residents, Nicolò's painting became a focal point for the neighborhood and the patron himself, who turned to it to seek divine favors. As you explore, compare the building itself with its decoration and later additions. Differences in materials, forms and imagery can reveal successive periods of patronage, making the visit a way to understand how religious places evolved over time.