Conservation generously sponsored by Arnold M. Bernstein in memory of Dorothy H. & Isadore M. Bernstein

Founded in 960 by the Badoer family, the church of San Giovanni Evangelista was originally much smaller than its current structure and served as a private chapel for the patrician family. Its main entrance was located on the opposite side, directly opening onto the courtyard of the Badoer palace. Starting in 1301 and continuing through the 18th century, the church underwent a series of major renovations and expansions, as its use was granted to the members of the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista—a prominent lay confraternity whose meeting house stands directly opposite. Among the various renovation campaigns, one of the most significant took place in 1758 under the direction of Bernardino Maccaruzzi, the proto (head architect) of the Scuola and a pupil of Giorgio Massari. Following this transformation, Jacopo Marieschi installed his grand ceiling canvas, Saint John Adoring the Relic of the True Cross, further enhancing the church’s architectural splendor and the Scuola’s reverence for its precious relic.

Marieschi, a pupil of the Bellunese painter Gaspare Diziani, made significant artistic contributions to both the Church of San Giovanni and the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista in the early 1760s. His work there greatly elevated his reputation, leading to multiple appointments as a professor and restorer at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Venice, where he ultimately became President in 1776. For the ceiling of the Scuola’s Chapter Hall, Marieschi created three remarkable canvases depicting apocalyptic narratives, including the dramatic Saint John’s Vision of the Throne and the Book of the Seven Seals. In addition, he painted four canvases depicting miracles attributed to Saint John the Evangelist, the patron saint of the Scuola, including Saint John the Evangelist Healing a Child and Saint John the Evangelist Turning Sticks and Stones into Gold and Gems, both of which were restored by Save Venice.

Saint John Adoring the Relic of the True Cross marks the beginning of Marieschi’s late period, defined by a more mature and confident use of color and compositional balance. In this work, he forges an independent artistic path, free from Giambattista Tiepolo’s influence. Instead, he draws inspiration from his earlier Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, particularly in the depiction of angels lifting and accompanying Saint John’s ascension. Rendered with luminous, sparkling brushstrokes and daring perspective, these figures highlight Marieschi’s mastery of light and movement.

The painting’s subject unites Saint John, the confraternity’s patron saint, with the relic of the True Cross, which was presented to the Scuola in 1369 and believed to have performed numerous healing miracles in Venice. These miraculous events were later immortalized in the Cycle of the True Cross, painted by some of the most prominent Venetian artists of the 15th century. Three of these narrative painting masterpieces—Gentile Bellini’s Miracle of the Relic of the True Cross at the Bridge of San Lorenzo and Procession in Piazza San Marco, along with Vittore Carpaccio’s Miracle of the Relic of the True Cross at the Rialto Bridge between—have been restored by Save Venice. The relic, preserved in a 15th-century reliquary restored by Save Venice, remains housed in the Scuola and is displayed annually for devotees in the Church of San Giovanni. This deeply revered ceremony has been performed for centuries by the Scuola’s members, who still today carry their treasured relic into the church, venerating it just as their holy patron does from the ceiling above.

The painting is obscured by a thick layer of non-original surface residues, including grime, dust, darkened oxidized varnish, and unsightly areas of chromatically altered overpainting from previous restorations. These layers will be carefully thinned and removed. Additionally, the canvas exhibits areas of paint loss, which will require integration using reversible conservation paints. Once the canvas is taken down from the church’s ceiling, its structural integrity and tension will be assessed. If necessary, conservation measures such as strip lining and stretcher replacement will be considered to ensure its long-term stability.

Jacopo Marieschi (1711 – 1794)
Saint John Adoring the Relic of the True Cross
1760, oil on canvas
274 x 442 cm

Pallucchini, Rodolfo (ed.). La pittura nel Veneto. Il Settecento. Milan: Electa, 1995

Pazzi, Piero. La chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista a Venezia. Venice: Tipo-Litografia, 1985

Pignatti, Terisio (ed.). Le Scuole di Venezia. Milan: Electa, 1981

Trastulli, Federico. Marieschi, Jacopo. In Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, 70. Rome: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, 2008, ad vocem. Link to the article