News & Stories

Following a year-long conservation campaign, the spectacularly restored details of the façade of the church of San Sebastiano are now visible. Throughout January, scaffolding on the front and lateral facades has been methodically removed to allow conservators time to complete the final cleaning passes on the stonework along the base of the façade and the door of the church. The conservation of the exterior façades was essential to ensuring the protection of Paolo Veronese’s interior fresco decoration, as humidity and rising damp in the brick walls were the frescoes’ greatest threat.

Adhering to the philosophy of using traditional Venetian building materials, conservators from Co.New Tech. removed the cement plaster that had been applied to the façade during a 1960s restoration and replaced it with white marmorino plaster made from ground marble dust, similar to what Scarpagnino used in the 16th century. Decorative insets in marble and Istrian stone were cleaned and preserved, and the sculptures of Saints Sebastian, Jerome, and Cecilia along the roofline are now securely in place, no longer in danger of falling. The lateral façade was treated with a coat of terracotta plaster to provide insulation and protection on the north wall of the church, which suffers most from exposure to the elements.

Save Venice is immensely grateful to Beatrice de Santo Domingo, Alejandro Santo Domingo, and Andrés Santo Domingo for making this major restoration possible in memory of Julio Mario Santo Domingo.