Lead Benefactor
Anonymous

Benefactors
Karin & Peter Leidel
Gail & Alfred Engelberg
Sandy & Dick Rippe

Patrons
Jill & Richard Almeida; Christopher Apostle; Barbara & Bruce Berger; Diane & Alan de Olazarra; Andrew S. Jones & Laura Hodgson; Dayssi & Paul Kanavos; Sophia Kanavos; Donna Malin; Tracey Roberts; Tina Walls; Annasue McCleave Wilson & John H. Wilson III; and Dr. A. Fenner Milton†.

The basilica of Santa Maria Assunta on the island of Torcello is the oldest surviving structure in the Venetian lagoon, with origins dating to the 7th century. Save Venice has been active in preserving this important heritage site for decades, and particularly so during the last five years when the church’s precarious state of conservation was brought to our attention.

Following the success of the $1.3 million campaign launched on the occasion of Save Venice’s 50th Anniversary, the organization adopted the next phase of urgently-needed work in the basilica’s 3rd and 4th apses.

The 3rd apse of the church holds the Saint Anthony chapel, with a 17th-century marble and stone altar, which is also adorned with a 16th-century painting of the saint. The 4th apse was most likely once an open portico that was transformed into a sacristy. This area is now used by the church for storage of artworks no longer displayed, including a marvelous 17th-century altar and sculptures attributed to the school of Longhena, responsible for the church of Santa Maria della Salute.

In October 2021, Save Venice adopted the next phase of urgently-needed treatment in the church’s 3rd and 4th apses. The restoration of the Saint Anthony Chapel in the third apse began in 2022 with the complete dismantling of the chapel’s 17th-century altar to study its construction and desalinate the marble and stone elements. Carved marble pieces dating to the 9th century were discovered on the underside of the altar table, having evidently been “recycled” to utilize their smooth back sides. A 16th-century painting of Saint Anthony also underwent conservation, along with decorative statuary.

The interior walls of the chapel were studied and examined for traces of mosaic decoration or an earlier fresco cycle, but nothing conclusive was found. The deteriorated plaster was replaced with care, while the exterior brickwork was reinforced to ensure its structural integrity. The area under the roofline, above the chapel vault, was cleared of debris so that additional reinforcements and repairs could be made to the fragile walls, which still showed signs of damage from a 12th-century earthquake.

Work was also completed in the 4th apse, which was most likely once an open portico that was transformed into a sacristy. Today this area is used for storage of artworks no longer displayed, including the marvelous 17th-century marble sculptures attributed to the school of Longhena which until 1926 decorated the high altar of the church. The interior and exterior brick walls were structurally reinforced and treated to prevent the growth of lichens and algae.

Agazzi, Michela. Corsi e ricorsi della storia dell’arte. Gli altari di Torcello e Murano dal Medioevo al Barocco e ritorno. In Failla, Maria Beatrice and Susanne Adina, Meyer Chiara, Piva Stefania Ventra, eds. La cultura del restauro Modelli di ricezione per la museologia e la storia dell’arte. Rome: Campisano Editore, 2013, pp. 205-220. Link to the article

Caputo, Gianmatteo and Giovanni Gentili, eds. Torcello: alle origini di Venezia tra Occidente e Oriente. Venice: Marsilio, 2009

Forlati, Ferdinando. “L’altare maggiore della basilica di Torcello.” In Bollettino d’arte, 1 (1930): 49-56. Link to the article

Niero, Antonio. The Basilica of Torcello and Santa Fosca’s. Venice: Ardo Edizioni d’Arte

Polacco, Renato. La cattedrale di Torcello. Venice: L’altra riva; Treviso: Canova, 1984