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Chiesa Di San Giovanni Decollato
This modest and long-abandoned church (San Zan Degolà, or St John the Headless, in Venetian, known in less blood-curdling fashion in English as St John the Baptist) has been reborn as a home for Russian Orthodox services. Inside, some 14th-century frescoes remain. On the south wall facing the campo is a small, sculpted medallion of a lopped-off head.
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Chiesa Di San Giovanni Elemosinario
You could easily stride right past this Renaissance church, built by Antonio Abbondi after a disastrous fire in 1514 destroyed much of the Rialto area. The church and its separate bell tower are camouflaged by surrounding houses, so their presence comes as a surprise. The frescoes inside the dome are by Pordenone, as is one of two altarpieces.
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Chiesa Di San Giovanni Grisostomo
This church was remodelled on a Greek-cross plan by Codussi in 1504. Since 1977 it has housed an icon of the Virgin Mary that attracts a lot of the local faithful. With all the burning incense and candles, to wander in here is to feel yourself transported to a mysterious church of the Orthodox East. Notable is Giovanni Bellini's San Gerolamo e Due Santi (St Jerome and Two Saints).
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Chiesa Di San Giovanni In Bragora
Antonio Vivaldi was baptised in this church. Among the works of art inside is a restored triptych by Bartolomeo Vivarini, the Madonna in Trono tra I Santi Andrea e Giovanni Battista (Enthroned Madonna with St Andrew and John the Baptist). In the peaceful square just south of the church, Campiello del Piovan, the architect Giorgio Massari was born at No 3752.
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Chiesa Di San Lio
Worth a peep in this 11th-century church, if you find it open, is the magnificent ceiling fresco by Giandomenico Tiepolo, the Gloria della Croce e di San Leone IX (The Glory of the Cross and St Leon IX). On the left as you enter by the main door is a work by Titian, the Apostolo Giacomo il Maggiore (Apostle James the Great). Canaletto was baptised and, eventually, buried in this, his parish church.
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Chiesa Di San Marcuola
Although a church has been here since the 9th century, what you see was cobbled together (and not quite completed) in the 18th century by Giorgio Massari and Antonio Gaspari. Inside is an Ultima Cena (Last Supper) by Tintoretto. His Christ and apostles are spotlighted against a black background, giving the meal an extraordinary air.
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Chiesa Di San Martino
The ceiling fresco depicting the Gloria di San Martino (Glory of St Martin) attracts the eye in here. A further treasure are the canvases by Palma il Giovane showing Jesus being flogged and on the way to Calvary. The only problem is that these are in the small choir stalls behind the altar and are generally unreachable. You can glimpse them from in front of the altar. Sansovino designed the present church, completed in 1654.
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Chiesa Di San Moisè
Legend has it that the first church in this spot was founded in the 8th century, but the rather unrestrained baroque façade you see today is a product of the 1660s. Inside, among the more interesting works on view is Tintoretto's La Lavanda dei Piedi (The Washing of the Feet), in the sanctuary to the left of the main altar, and Palma il Giovane's La Cena (The Supper), on the right side of the church.
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Chiesa Di San Nicolò Dei Mendicoli
Although fiddled with over the centuries, this church still preserves elements of the 13th-century original. The portico attached to one side was used to shelter the poor. The whole area was downtrodden and known for its mendicoli , or beggars. The church's tiny square, bound in by the canals and featuring a pylon bearing the winged lion of St Mark, is at the heart of one of the oldest parishes in Venice.
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Chiesa Di San Pantalon
The stark, unfinished brick façade dates from the 17th century, although a church was here as early as the 11th century. Inside, the greatest impact comes from the 40 canvases representing the Martirio e Gloria di San Pantaleone (Martyrdom and Glory of St Pantaleone), painted for the ceiling by Giovanni Antonio Fumiani. The artist died in a fall from scaffolding while at work and is buried in the church.
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Chiesa Di San Polo
Although of Byzantine origin, this church has lost much of its attraction through repeated interference and renovation. Worst of all, the pile-up of houses between it and the Rio di San Polo has completely obscured its façade. Inside, however, is a rich offering of Giandomenico Tiepolo's art. A whole cycle of his, the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross), hangs in the sacristy.
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Chiesa Di San Rocco
This church was completely overhauled in the 18th century - hence the bold baroque façade. It has a neglected feel inside but contains several paintings of interest to those who have not overdosed, including some by Tintoretto on the main-entrance wall and around the altar.
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Chiesa Di San Salvador
Built on a plan of three Greek crosses laid end to end, San Salvador is among the city's oldest churches, possibly dating from the 7th century (although the bulk of what you see dates from later periods). The present façade was erected in 1663. Among the noteworthy works inside is Titian's Annunciazione (Annunciation), at the third altar on the right as you approach the main altar.
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Chiesa Di San Sebastian
Veronese's final resting place, this Renaissance remake of an earlier church is often attributed to Antonio Scarpagnino (c 1505-49). Inside, Veronese went to town, decorating the interior with frescoes and canvases that cover a good deal of space on the ceiling and walls. The organ is his work, too, with scenes from Christ's life on its shutters. Titian left a notable item here as well - his San Nicolò (St Nicholas), first on the right as you enter.
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Chiesa Di San Stae
A simple house of worship dedicated to St Eustace (a probably fictitious Roman martyr who converted to Christianity, lost everything, was restored to his position and then condemned to being roasted alive with his family inside a bronze statue of a bull for refusing to carry out a pagan sacrifice), this church is deceptive. The elaborate exterior (finished in 1709 in Palladian style but with baroque touches) hides an austere interior.
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Chiesa Di San Vidal
No longer a functioning church, San Vidal has found a use as home to one of the many baroque-music groups active in Venice. If you find it open (hours are subject to whim), the main object of interest inside is Vittorio Carpaccio's San Vitale a Cavallo e Otto Santi (St Vitale on Horseback and Eight Saints) above the main altar.
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Chiesa Di San Zaccaria
If the Basilica di San Marco was the doge's private chapel, this was his parish church (eight dogi are buried here). The Renaissance façade is the handiwork of Antonio Gambello and Codussi. Gambello started off in a Gothic vein but was already influenced by Renaissance thinking. The lower part of the façade in marble is his work. When Codussi took over he favoured white Istrian stone, and the clean curves at the top mark his take on the Renaissance.
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Chiesa Di Sant'alvise
Built in 1388, this church plays host to a noteworthy Tiepolo, the Salita al Calvario (Climb to Calvary), a distressingly human depiction of one of Christ's falls under the weight of the cross. The ceiling frescoes are a riot of colour.
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Chiesa Di Sant'eufemia
A simple Veneto-Byzantine structure of the 11th century, this church's main portico was actually added in the 18th and 19th centuries. Down Fondamenta Rio di Sant'Eufemia are the one-time church and convent of SS Cosma e Damiano. They were turned into a factory and the bell tower into a smokestack, but have now been beautifully restored and studios and workshops. You can see artists working on paper, glass and perfumes, and buy too.
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Chiesa Di Santa Maria Dei Miracoli
It looks like an elaborate box containing the most refined of chocolates. Pietro Lombardo was responsible for this Renaissance jewel, which is fully covered inside and out in marble, bas-reliefs and statues. The state and Church generally paid for the construction of churches, but this case was different. It was built to house an iconic image of the Virgin Mary, reputed to be miraculous.
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Chiesa Di Santa Maria Del Giglio
Also known as Santa Maria Zobenigo, this church's baroque façade is a fanciful atlas, centuries old, featuring maps of European cities as they were in 1678. The façade also hides the fact that a church has stood here since the 10th century.
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Chiesa Di Santa Maria Della Salute
Possibly the city's most familiar silhouette, this bulging baroque beast is one of Longhena's masterpieces. Seen from close up, it's difficult to take it all in, but Longhena knew what he was doing and deliberately designed a monument to be admired from afar. Indeed it is more impressive on the outside than within, with one significant exception, the sacristy.
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Chiesa Di Santa Maria Della Visitazione
More simply dubbed La Pietà, this church is best known for its association with the composer Vivaldi, who was concertmaster here in the early 18th century. Look for the ceiling fresco by Tiepolo. The original church was located next door, and a few fragments of it are visible in the Hotel Metropole. For many years the church was the scene of regular concerts of Vivaldi's music, but the church and instruments are off limits while renovations take place.
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Chiesa Di Santa Maria Formosa
Rebuilt in 1492 by Mauro Codussi on the site of a 7th-century church, this house of worship bears a curious name stemming from the legend behind its initial foundation. San Magno, bishop of Oderzo, is said to have had a vision of the Virgin Mary on this spot. Not just any old vision, however: in this instance she was formosa (beautiful, curvy), which hardly seems in keeping with standard views of Our Lady.
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Chiesa Di Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari
If you have seen Notre Dame in Paris or Cologne's Dom, you might be thinking: what is so Gothic about the Frari? Built for the Franciscans in the 14th and 15th centuries of brick rather than stone, and bereft of flying buttresses, pinnacles, gargoyles and virtually any other sign of decoration inside or out, it is a singularly austere interpretation of the style.
