🕍 Overview
Location: In the Castello district, directly on the square of the same name, Campo Santa Maria Formosa.
Name: "Formosa" means "well-formed" or "curvy." According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to Bishop Magnus in the 7th century as a beautiful matron and commanded him to build a church on this site.
Foundation: Originally built in the 7th century, remodeled several times – the current structure dates from the Renaissance period.
🏛️ Architecture
Architect: Mauro Codussi, one of the most important architects of the early Venetian Renaissance.
Floor plan: A combination of Greek and Latin crosses with a central dome – a harmonious blend of Byzantine tradition and Renaissance geometry.
Facades:
The main façade (1542), facing the canal, features the tomb of the Venetian admiral Vincenzo Capello.
The Baroque north façade (1604) is richly decorated with Corinthian and Ionic columns – also donated by the Capello family.
🎨 Artworks inside
The church houses works by:
Bartolomeo Vivarini
Palma il Vecchio
Leandro Bassano
Vincenzo Catena
Giulia Lama – one of the few known female painters of the Venetian Baroque.
📜 Historical significance
Celebrations: On February 2nd (Candlemas), the Doge and twelve festively dressed young women would procession to the church – commemorating the rescue of Venetian brides from pirates in 944.
Earthquakes & war: The church suffered multiple damages – including an earthquake in 1688 and a bomb during World War I in 1916. The dome was rebuilt in 1921.