Across the water from San Marco lies the spectacular church of San Giorgio Maggiore. It sits on a small island at the southern end of the broad, busy Canale della Giudecca (Giudecca Canal). We visited the island on our first full day in Venice, initially to simply escape the maddening, noisy crowds around Basilica Di San Marco. As our vaporetti water bus pulled away peace fall across the island - a marked contrast to the bustle we'd left behind.
The church itself is a wonderful balance of scale, space and relatively sparse decoration. It's easily my favourite church in all of Venice. It was built between 1565 and 1580 and includes a 60 metre high bell tower. The views from the tower are stunning, offering easily the best panorama of Venice. The view from San Marco's Campanile tends to be dominated by a sea of red tile roofs, while Giorgio offers a truly classic Venetian skyline.
From San Giorgio we ventured up Canale della Giudecca, visiting Chiesa del Redentore before crossing to enjoy lunch on the waterfront by Chiesa dei Gesuati. Chiesa del Redentore is almost as grand as San Giorgio, commanding attention from almost any vantage point. It was commissioned to commemorate the passing of the plague in 1577. Its interior is grand and vast, built to accommodate crowds of thankful pilgrims. As with so many churches in Venice, its walls are also littered with canvases painted by more than one local master.
Over the course of five days we ventured into many of Venice's churches. The number of churches in the city is staggering. Each has its own identity, some simple, others grand. One quickly gains a sense of the central role played by the church in earlier times. Perhaps our century will be best remembered by its many cinemas and shopping malls?
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