Restored in 1988 with Save Venice general funds.

This sculpture of Saint Paul is located in a niche on the exterior of the church of San Polo — “Polo” is “Paul” in Venetian dialect — facing Campo San Polo. The marble torso of the saint closely resembles draped figures from Attica and is thought to be an ancient Greek sculpture that dates to the fourth century BCE. Towards the middle of the fifteenth century, an unidentified Italian sculptor added a head and feet to the fragment, transforming it into a representation of Saint Paul for the church of San Polo. The sculpture’s damaged right hand once held a sword, the instrument of Saint Paul’s martyrdom and his most common attribute.

The figure was previously located in a Gothic lunette above the side door of the church, along the adjacent calle and across from the bell tower. In 1804 the church was extensively renovated in a neoclassical style under architect David Rossi; at this time, the statue was moved to the exterior of the apse and placed within a classicizing niche. The date of this relocation is inscribed on the base that supports the sculpture.

The work was restored by conservator Martina Serafin, 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.

Unidentified sculptors
Saint Paul
Fourth century BCE (?), with additions dating to c. 1435-1445, marble
193 cm tall

The Chiese di Venezia Program

Chorus Association: Church of San Polo

Una chiesa al centro della città: San Polo tra devozione, arte e feste popolari (Conference Program, 2019)