VENICE

Church of SS Giovanni e Paolo Vittor Pisani d. 1380 Attributed to Bonino da Campione. Restored in 1921.  Born 1324. He was commander of the Venetian fleet in 1378 during the war against the Genoese, whom he defeated off Capo d'Anzio. He was responsible for the capture of Kotor, Sibenik and Rab. In 1379 the Genoese fleet turned and defeated Pisani. When he returned to Venice he was put in prison; however, the people of Venice demanded his liberation when Venice itself was threatened after the capture of Chioggia. Given a second chance he was able to recapture Chioggia with the Venetian fleet and held them off until peace agreements were reached. In 1380 on his way to Manfredonia with a fleet of provision ships he died. It is believed that his palace is now the Hotel Saturnia

Valier Funeral Monument This is the entrance to the Chapel of Peace. it represents Doge Bertucci (1658), the Doge Silvestro (1700) and his wife Elisabetta Guerrini (1708), created by Andrea Tirali, based on the drawings by  Antonio Gaspari. It also features reliefs of virtue. Doge Bertuccio Valiero was born in Venice in July 1596, the son of Silvestro Valiero and Bianca Priuli. He was a cultured man and married Benedetta Pisani, together having many children, including his son Silvestro, who would later serve as Doge, and who appears on the monument. He served as Podesta of Venice's towns and as Venetian Ambassador to the Vatican during the pontificate of Pope Alexander VII. In 1656 during the war with the Ottoman Empire he was considered as a candidate for Doge. He lost the election, but Francesco Cornaro the victor died only 19 days later, meaning a second election was held and he was then unanimously elected. He attempted to bring the Ottoman war to an end but treaties were rejected and the fleet only had limited success at the siege of Candia. Desperate for money in 1655 the Jesuits were allowed to return to Venice on agreement of payment to the state. In 1658, after suffering from ill health for many years he finally died in March 1658,.  Silvestro Valiero was born in Venice in March 1630. Son of the above, he married Elisabetta when he was 19. He became procurator by buying his way into the office. He was interested in the diplomatic affairs of the state. He was considered a good speaker, loved the good life but was also generous to the poor and gained the people's affection. He was elected as Doge in 1694 after the Republic decided they wanted someone who was not ambitious, because of the poor economic state through war. The council had done away with the grand procession reserved for the Dogaressa, but they were persuaded to reinstate it for Elisabeth. in March 1694; she appeared clothed in golden robe finished with sable, a white veil and the ducal crown, finished off by grand jewels including a diamond cross on her chest. He died in July 1700 at war with his own family and with Venice on the verge of bankruptcy.

The tomb of the heroes of the Risorgimento Domenico Moro and Attilio & Emilio Bandiera 1844 Above Centre: The chapel of the Name of God, now the Chapel of the Beatified Giacomo Salomoni. It was erected in the mid 14th century in honour of Ludovico de Tolosa. The altar piece is La Maddalena and St Louis of Toulouse at the foot of the Crucifix (1650) in remembrance of the first dedication of the chapel. It is considered to be the first work by Pietro Liberi. Placed at the altar are the remains of Giacomo Salomoni 1231-1314, a Dominican son of the adjacent convent. It was believed his miracle was the ability to invoke against tumours. Above Right: Niccolo di Pitigliano, Count of Orsini, mounted upon his war horse from Colleoni and flanked by Faith and Prudence. (1442-1510) Born in Pitigliano to Aldobrandino II, Count of Pitigliano and his wife Bartolomea. Coming from a famous family he made his name as a mercenary, taking contracts from Florence, Siena, Naples and the Pope amongst others. 1495 until he died he was Governatore Generale delle Milizie Veneziane. In 1509 he opposed an attack by the French King Louis XII, but due to in house fighting between Pitigliano and Alviano failed to unite their forces and this resulted in Alvasino's army being slaughtered in May. Pitigliano's forces deserted and he was forced to retreat. The French had won and proceeded to occupy vast amounts of Venetian land. By November he had regrouped and easily defeated the army that he faced, although he was later driven back to Padua  after the advance at Po River.   He was married twice: firstly in 1467 to Elena dei Conti Montalcino and secondly to Guglielmina, a woman of common birth.

Various unattributed sarcophagi

Above: Believed to be the tomb of St Loredan, and has been credited to Tajapiera from the second half of the 14th century.  Near right:The tomb of Senator and scholar Alvise Michiel who died in 1589 and was created by the school of Alessandro Vittoria Far right:  Senator Giambattista Bonzio, erected in 1525 and attributed to Gian Maria Padovano.

Pompeo Giustiniani By Francesco Terilli da Faltre Pompeo was born in 1569 in Ajaccio. He was 14 when he began his military career. In 1602 during the Siege of Ostend he was promoted to Mastro di Campo. He later wrote a text "Delle guerre di Fiandra" based on his experiences and had it published in 1609. In 1613 he entered the Venetian army, but argued with the other officers at Uskok. In 1616 he besieged Gradisca but had to withdraw because the Habsburg forces were too strong. In 10 October 1616 he was killed by the enemy army at Lucinico.

Perugian Orazio Baglioni Melchiorre Lanza The equestrian monument to Perugian Orazio Baglioni who died in 1617 and is remembered for his vehemence and determination in defending against the enemy. A monument honouring the painter  Melchiorre Lanza who died in 1674. The monument is better known as the "Melancholy", and was created by Melchiorre Barthel, a Dresden sculptor who was living in Venice at the time.

Above: Marino Cavalli (1572) Above right: Marcantonio Bragadin (1571) See note below. Above far right: Marco Giustiniani della Bragora. An Ambassador to Serenissima  The Monument to Marcantonio Bragadin, attributed to Vincenzo Scamozzi, with a fresco above depicting the scene of Martyrdom of Mercenary Leader, which is attributed to Cosimo Da Castelfranco. Marcantonio Bragadin was born 21 April 1523. He was a lawyer in 1543, but decided to pursue a career in the navy. In 1560 he was made a city magistrate, and in 1566  a galley governor. In 1569 he was elected as Captain of the Kingdom of Cyprus and moved to Famagusta which at that time was a rich and wealthy port. He assumed civil governorship over the whole island. He worked hard to fortify Famagusta. The Turks landed in Cyprus on July 3, 1570.They besieged Famagusta in September. Brigadin had joined the Fanti da Mar Corps of the Republic of Venice. In 1569 he was appointed Captain General of Famagusta in Cyprus. On 31st July 1571 after a long and brutal siege he agreed to negotiate terms of surrender. Terms were accepted and the Ottoman leaders allowed all Christians to leave the city in peace under their own flag. This happened for four days with no problems, but on the fifth day during the presentation of the city to the Ottomans, their General Mustafa started to behave strangely accusing Bragdin of murdering Turkish prisoners. Mustafa then pulled out his knife and cut off Bragadin's right ear. He ordered his guards to cut off the other ear and his nose. The order was then given that any remaining Christians were slaughtered. Bragadin was thrown in prison for two weeks with festering wounds before he was dragged round the city walls with sacks of stones and earth on his back. When they had finished humiliating him, they tied him naked to a post in the centre of the square and he was flayed alive. They abused his quartered body further before sending what remained as a gift to the Sultan Selim II of Constantinople, where it was kept in the treasury. It was captured by a Venetian officer, Girolamo Polidori in 1580. The skin was returned to the church and preserved. in Venice where he was considered a Martyr.

Leonardo Prato  (1511) Edward, Duke of Windsor (1574)  Doge Tommaso Mocenigo (1423)   Attributed to Lorenzo Bregano

Above centre: The monument to Edward, Duke of Windsor (1574)  attributed to Alessandro Vittoria.   Sir Edward Windsor, 2rd Baron Windsor was born in 1532. He was married to Katherine de Vere, the older half sister of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. On 2 October 1553, the day after the coronation of Queen Mary, he was appointed a Knight of the Carpet. In 1557 he fought in the battle of St Quentin during the Italian wars, under the English forces of Frances Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford. In 1566 he was visited at the family home by Queen Elizabeth, but because he was a firm Roman Catholic he spent many years living in Europe. He died in Venice in 24 January 1574.   Below and above right: The monument to Doge Tommaso Mocenigo (1423) by Pietro Di Niccolo Lamberti and Giovanni Di Martino da Fiesole. Born in 1343, he was in command of the crusading fleet in the expedition to Nicopolis in 1396. 1378-81 he won the battle against the Genoese during the war of Chioggia. He was Venetian ambassador at Cremona, during which posting he was elected doge in 141. He was thus forced to escape fearing he would be held prisoner by Gabrino Fondolo, tyrant of Cremona. His fleet would later defeat the Turks at Gallipoli. He reconstructed the ducal palace and started the new library. He died after a long illness in 1423.

Doge Sebastiano Venier (1578) Doge Pietro Mocenigo (1476) Doge Michele Morosini (1382) Above monument and detail: Doge Pietro Mocenigo;Monuments attributed to Pietro Lombardo. He was born in1406. He became a great admiral who revived the fortunes of the Venetian navy. In1472 He captured and destroyed Smyrna; in1473 He placed Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus under the protection of the Venetian state which meant they obtained the island in 1475.  In 1474 He was elected Doge. In 1475 he defeated the Turks at the siege of Scutari, where he contracted an illness and died in 1476. Left:Monument to the Mercenary Sebastiano Venier by Antonio Dal Zotto. Sebastiano Venier was born 1496 the son of Moise Venier and Elena Dona. He worked as a lawyer from an early age and later became an administrator for the Venice Government. 1570 he was procurator and later Capitano generale de mar of the Venetian fleet. He was commander at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 in which the Christians defeated the Turks. 1577 at the age of 81 he was elected doge. He was married to Cecilia Contarini with whom he had a daughter, Elena, and two sons. He died in March 1578 allegedly of  a broken heart after a fire heavily damaged the Doges Palace Above: The monument of Doge Michele Morosini. The mosaic depicts the Doge and his wife Christina Bondumier kneeling and praying before Christ on the Cross.Michele Morosini was born in 1308 into one of the wealthiest families in Venice. He was elected Doge in June 1382 but died of plague in October the same year.

Doge Marco Corner (1368) Lucius Comanus Patritus The monument to Doge Marco Corner with saints and the Virgin in niches above him, by Nino Pisano. Doge Marco Corner was born in 1285. He became Doge in July 1365 and died in 1368 No information available

Doge Leonardo Loredan Doge Pasquale Malipiero (1462) Left: The monument to Doge Leonardo Loredan by Girolamo Grapiglia in 1572 with statues by Danese Cattaneo picturing Venice, The Cambrian League and the virtues of peace and Bounty. Leonardo Loredan was Doge 1501-21 Above and right: The monument to Doge Pasquale Malipiero by Pietro Lombardo c.1470 He was born in 1392 and was a statesman before becoming Doge in October 1457. He was responsible for passing a law that limited the power of the Council of Ten. He died 7 May 1462.

Doge Nicolo Marcello (1474) Doge Jacopo Tiepolo (1229-1249)  and his son Lorenzo (1268-75) Left and above left: Monument to Doge Nicolo Marcello attributed to Pietro Lombardo, displayed with the four virtues and the eternal Father. Nicolo was born in 1399, he was a trader with the Orient before becoming a state figure including Provost tot he Council of Ten. He married twice, firstly to Bianca Barbarigo and then, secondly, to contarina Contarni. 1473 he was elected Doge during which time he devoted his time to reorganizing the state finances of Venice. He introduced a new silver coin called Marcello. He died in December 1474. Above right: Doge Jacepo Tiepolo (1229-1249)  and his son Lorenzo (1268-75).  The decoration on the tomb alludes to a dream had by the Doge which led to the land being donated for the building of the church. Before he was elected Doge he served as first Duke of Crete and Podesta in Constantinople (1218-20 / 1224-27). He went for election as Doge in 1229 against his rival Marino Dandolo. The election was tight, the original count being 20 votes each. It would later lead to a rift between the two families. In 1242 he proclaimed statuto, the Codification of Venetian Civil Laws. In 1240s The Great Mendicant, where the orders of the Dominican and Franciscan orders were granted land on which to build the two largest churches in Venice: the Sant Giovanni e Paolo-Santi and Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. In 1249 he abdicated as Doge and retired to the family home where he died a couple of months later on the 19 July 1249. Lorenzo was the son of Jacopo and his second wife Marguerite the daughter of the King of Romania. In 1257 he commanded during the War of Saint Sabas with the Genoese whom he defeated at Acre. Served as Podesta of Fano. In 1268 elected Doge with 25 votes from 41. He was generally loved by the people but received much hostility from the nobles because of the way he treated his son. In 1273 Marco Polo set off for his exploration of China under the Dogal blessing. In 15 Aug 1275 he died.

Michele Steno (1413) and Alvise Trevisan (1528) Doge Giovani Dolfin (1361) Left: The double monument to Michele Steno and Alvise Trevisan. Michele Steno was born in 1331. As a young man he was involved in an act of vandalism against the then Doge by profaning his wife, and was nearly executed for the crime. He later served as Proveditor of Venice, and was a capable diplomat. In 1400 he was elected Doge. He died in December 1413. Alvise Trevisan was a scholar who died in 1528. There is another photograph below. Above: Monument to Doge Dolfin by Andrea da San Felice. The front panels depict The Adoration of the Magi, the doges and their wives adoring Christ on the throne and the passing away of the Virgin Mary. The end figures represent the annunciation. Born into a wealthy family he was elected Doge in August 1356. During his rule there was much unrest in the Venetian colonies. He died in July 1361

Giovanni Mocenigo (1485) Monument to Doge Giovanni Mocenigo, attributed to Tulio Lombardo in 1552. The carvings of the base relief is attributed to Antonio Lombardo, and illustrate the Baptism of Christ and St Mark Baptising Aniano and his family. Giovanni Ser di Mocenigo Jr was born in 1409. He fought at sea against the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and also against Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrera, from whom he captured Rovigo and Polesine. It is speculated that he was killed by poisoning. in 1485. He was Doge from 1478

Doge Andrea Vendramin (1478)   Monument to Andrea Vendramin by Tullio Lombardo 1493, surrounded by the seven virtues. Andrea Vendramin was born in 1393 to Maria Michiel. He served as Venetian Procurator in Rome, and also had a joint shipping venture with his brother importing food from Alexandria. He was elected doge in 1476 which caused so much ill feeling that Antonio Feleto was imprisoned and then banished for calling him a cheesemonger doge. He married Regina Gradenigo had six daughters. He died of plague in May 1478

Doge Alvise Mocenigo and his wife Loredana Marcello The monument to Doge Alvise Mocenigo and his wife Loredana Marcello. The work was begun in 1577 by Girolamo Grapiglia and was finished in 1646 by Francesco Contin. The monument is so huge that it encompasses the entire facade of the entrance and includes the monument to Bartolomeo Bragadin from 1507. Alvise I Mocenigo was born 26 October 1507. He was a diplomat for Venice at the Court of Emperor Charles V in 1545 and to Pope Paul IV in 1557 before returning to the imperial court in 1567. In 1570 he was elected as Doge. During his rule Venice lost the fortresses of Nicosia and Famagusta. He died 4 June 1577.

Doge Antonio Vernier Bartolomeo Bragadin Above: The monument to Doge Antonio Vernier by Dalle Masegne, upon which five niches hold the virtues. To the side is the Saint Dominic and Anthony the Abbot. Above is the virgin Mary flanked by St Peter and Paul. Antonio Venier was born in 1330. He married Agnes da Mosto. 1380 he was in the army at the rank of Superintendent in the Fortress of Tenedos. 1381 became Captain of Crete. 1382 he was elected Doge. His rule was not an easy one annotated by years of floods and plagues, plus brutal wars abroad. He also had problems with his son Alvise which led to mockery of the family through his adulterous ways. He was imprisoned and fell ill there, but his father did not release him. He died in November 1400 Left near and far:Monument to the poet Bartolomeo Bragasin, who died in 1507, and whose monument was incorporated into the Alvise Mocenigo monument

Dogaressa Agnese Vernier Alvise Diedo  Captain Girolamo Canal Left: The monument to the Dogaressa Agnese Vernier who died in 1410. It also remembers her daughter Orsola who died in 1471 and her daughter in law Petronilla de Toco. The relief depicts the Pity, John the Baptist and Peter the Martyr. The Madonna is flanked by Saint Anthony the Abbot and Saint Dominic Above: The funeral slab to Alvise Diedo who was famous for saving the Venetian Fleet at Constantinople in 1453. He died in 1466 and the slab is attributed to Pietro Lombardo Right: The monument to Captain Girolamo Canal who died in 1535

Gabrriele de Chastellier   Bartolomeo Colleoni (1475)     Above: Bartolomeo Colleoni (1475) Right: The altar of St Jerome with the tomb of  Gabrriele de Chastellier

Basilica san Zaccaria Above: Exterior of the Basilica Left: Alessandro Vittoria Right: Tomb of St Anthanus Below: Marco Santusfranc

Notes    The Doge (plural: doges or dogi) was the head of state in the republics of Venice and Genoa. The office of doge (dogeship) had a different form in Genoa to Venice so will not be dealt with here. The doge was elected for life by a committee of forty, who were chosen by four men selected from the Grand Council of Venice, which had 2000 members, and was itself nominated annually by twelve persons. The doge's power was not absolute but was under strict surveillance. A dogaressa was the wife of a doge.     Many of the monuments are wall mounted, sometimes quite high so it is not possible to see the effigy let alone photograph it. This is because it was not possible to construct a crypt in Venice because of the water levels. Sometimes the effigies are tilted towards the observer so the obsever may see them, although this can look oddly unstable.

With grateful thanks to Amanda Miller of Amanda's Arcadia for supplying all the photographs and information on this page

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