Church of San Clemente

The small church of San Clemente in Padua, in Piazza dei Signori, is one of the oldest churches in the saint's city; the first certain news dates from 1190, while in a document from 1221 it is defined as a "chapel" and therefore without important religious functions; in 1308 it became a parish church. The facade was built during a renovation project that the Serenissima designed for Piazza dei Signori at the end of the sixteenth century; this facade currently consists of several pilasters and a large tympanum with the statues of S. Clemente, S. Giustina and S. Daniele. A neo-Baroque bell tower rises on the side: it replaces a bell tower covered by a dome that was demolished in the second half of the nineteenth century and is located on the same site as the current one. However, the interior consists of a single nave with a square apse and side altars, two of which are dedicated to the "orési" (goldsmiths) and the "casolini" (sellers of cheese and dairy specialties). Its location among the major squares of Padua determined - in addition to its religious function - also that of a center and reference point for craft activities. Also notable are: the seventeenth-century altarpiece by Luca Ferrari, depicting Pope San Clemente; a canvas by Pietro Damini (17th century), showing Jesus giving the keys to Saint Peter; the fresco of the Madonna and Child, attributed to Jacopo Bellini (1450); the preaching of the Baptist by Luca Ferrari; a Christ placed in the tomb, the work of Guido Girello.Info
Piazza dei Signori, Padua
Source: visitabanomomontegrotto.com/luoghi-di-culto/chiesa-di-san-clemente-padova