Cattedrale di San Pietro di Castello

Unlikely though it may seem, this sleepy church on the far-flung island of San Pietro was Venice’s cathedral from 1451 to 1807 – not the more attention-seeking and conveniently located Basilica di San Marco, which was the doge’s chapel. But the island of San Pietro (originally known as Olivolo) was among the first to be inhabited in Venice, and the original church here was the seat of a bishopric as early as 775. The present church is an almost-but-not-quite Palladio design. Palladio had been awarded the contract in the 1550s, but the death of the patriarch when the architect was two years into the project led to a project hiatus that lasted beyond the genius’s own demise. Palladio’s successors largely respected his initial ideas, taking their cue from Giudecca’s ChiesadelRedentore to complete the monumental facade by the end of the 16th century. Note the fine work on the expansive 54m dome, which rivals Michelangelo’s at the Vatican for size. Inside, Baldassare Longhena is responsible for the baroque main altar. Between the second and third altars on the right side of the church, you’ll spot a chair with an intricately carved stone back referred to as ‘St Peter’s Throne’. According to one of Venice’s many architectural urban legends, the impressive chair was used by the Apostle Peter in Antioch, and the Holy Grail was later hidden in it. This story has all the makings of an Indiana Jones sequel, but very little truth to it: the seat back is made from a scavenged Muslim tombstone that postdates the Apostle’s death by some centuries. Also on the premises, you’ll spot San Pietro’s blinding white bell tower of Istrian stone by Codussi (finished in 1490) leaning at an odd angle. Next door is the crumbling former patriarchate, retired from its use as military barracks and now partly occupied by apartments.