Restored from 1973 to 1976 with funding from the Boston Chapter of Save Venice Inc., the Italian State, and the Jesuit Fathers of Venice.

Several churches had existed on this site in Cannaregio, but they were either destroyed by fire or demolished. Around 1715 the Jesuits commissioned the church of Santa Maria Assunta that still stands there today; it is commonly known as the Gesuiti. The design of the church is credited to architect Domenico Rossi, and a significant portion of the project was financed by the Manin, a wealthy family of the Venetian nobility. The church’s interior columns, pilasters, and cornices are richly decorated with inlaid green and white marble, designed and draped to look like damask. The floor is paved with an elaborate design in black and white marble.

In 1973 the church was considered to be one of the most endangered structures in all of Venice, as its rear wall was at risk of collapsing into the canal behind the church. Through an extensive intervention that lasted nearly three years, the church was stabilized and its structural integrity was restored.

The structural restoration was overseen by engineer Jolando Francalancia, with the guidance of project director Antonio Padoan of the Superintendency of Monuments of Venice.

Domenico Rossi (1657–1737)
Church of Santa Maria Assunta, known as the Gesuiti
1715-1730