Conservation funded by the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc.

The massive funerary monument immortalizing Livio Podacataro is installed against the north wall of the church of San Sebastiano, on the right-hand side of the nave. Attributed to the workshop of Jacopo Sansovino, the monument is constructed of Istrian stone with gilded figures and low reliefs. A prominent theologian and scholar, Livio Podacataro — also frequently spelled as Podocataro— served as the archbishop of Nicosia in the Venetian colony of Cyprus from 1524 to 1552. He maintained a residence in Venice in the neighborhood of the church of San Sebastiano.

The tomb monument dates to 1556-58, and sets the tone for the organ loft on the opposite wall that Paolo Veronese designed in 1558, as well as for the frame of the high altar, also designed by Veronese and completed in 1562.

The restoration of the Livio Podacataro Monument was undertaken by the Arlango and CBC firms in 2013.  Once completed, it was named an Italian Heritage Award Winner of the International Prize for the Valorization of Italian Cultural Heritage; specifically, it was awarded the First Prize for Sculpture Restoration.

Save Venice’s continued dedication to preserving the artistic heritage of Venice was recognized with this award for excellence in project planning and management, restoration methodology, synergy, and time and cost efficiency. The prize was conferred by the jury of the Italian Heritage Awards, composed of Italian and international experts, at a ceremony in Rome on October 4th, 2013.

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.

Jacopo Sansovino and Workshop
1556-1558
Istrian Stone

Return to the San Sebastiano Landing Page

McHam, Sarah Blake. “Cyprus Meets Venice and Rome: The Tomb of Livio Podocataro,” Source: Notes in the History of Art 36, no. 3/4 (Spring/Summer 2017): 190-200.

Chorus Venezia: Visitors’ Information for the Church of San Sebastiano