Restored in 1997 with Save Venice general funds.

On the right side of the nave of the Basilica dei Frari stands the impressive funerary monument of Almerico d’Este; attributed to architect Baldassare Longhena in collaboration with Flemish sculptor Juste Le Court, it was completed around 1666. The tomb monument was made for Prince Almerico d’Este, a young condottiere, or hired military commander. During times of war, the Venetian Republic often hired men from outside Venice to serve as condottieri and fight on behalf of Venice. Many of these men gave their lives during their service, and the Venetian Senate recognized their valiant efforts by commissioning monuments in their honor.

This was the case for the young Almerico d’Este, who commanded the ships that were sent by the Duke of Modena to fight on behalf of the Venetians in one of the longest and bloodiest wars in Venice’s history, the War of Candia (1645–1669). It lasted for twenty-four years and was fought to prevent Turkish control of the Mediterranean. Christian fleets were sent from France, the Papal States, Naples, and Tuscany to join Venice in this effort.

Almerico d’Este died of fever in 1660, amid rumors that he had been poisoned, and was honored with a state funeral in the church of the Frari. The Venetian Senate commissioned his funerary monument, which was erected in an imposing baroque style. Some scholars believe that Baldassare Longhena designed this tomb and Juste Le Court completed the commemorative statue of d’Este. The freestanding figure in light marble represents the condottiere as a young and handsome soldier, wearing armor and a long, distinctive wig. He stands upon a pedestal and towers above his sarcophagus, executed in the same dark green marble that was used for the framing columns and other architectural elements. Above the entablature with its honorary inscription strides the winged lion of Saint Mark, which was carved from wood, a more economical material, and painted to look like stone.

This tomb is a beautiful but stark reminder of a war in which 29,000 members of Venice’s allied forces died in the last two years of fighting, and more than 280 Venetian patricians—nearly one-fourth of the city’s ruling Maggior Consiglio, or Great Council — lost their lives.

The monument was restored by conservator Toto Bergamo and the Sansovino restoration firm, with the guidance of project director Adriana Augusti of the Superintendency of Fine Arts of Venice.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Baldassare Longhena (1598–1682) and Juste Le Court (1627–1679) [attr.]
Funerary Monument of Almerico d’Este
c. 1666, marble and wood
850 x 510 cm

Basilica dei Frari: Homepage

Chorus Association: Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari