San Sebastiano

Why go

Veronese worked in several parts of the church over successive campaigns, making San Sebastiano valuable for seeing his art within a connected architectural setting. The saint's imagery gives the paintings a devotional purpose beyond their color and composition. The church also offers a smaller-scale counterpart to Venice's monumental plague churches.

What to look for

• Saint Sebastian wounded by arrows stands at the pediment’s apex.
• Figures of Saints Sebastian and Jerome flank the entrance area.
• Veronese’s high altarpiece depicts the Madonna in Glory with Saint Sebastian and other saints.

The full story

San Sebastiano developed from a hospice and an accompanying oratory established by the Gerolimine fathers. Its dedication to Saint Sebastian connected the building to a saint widely invoked against plague. The arrows in his exterior image identify his martyrdom and explain a subject that returns in the church's art. Sixteenth-century rebuilding under Antonio Abbondi, known as Scarpagnino, gave the church its Renaissance form. A single nave, raised choir and domed presbytery created different spaces for later decoration. Veronese worked here during three periods between 1555 and 1570, painting ceilings and walls as well as works around the altar. The high altarpiece was the last work he completed for the church. Its marble frame was also his design, tying painting and architectural presentation together. This sustained involvement makes San Sebastiano more than a place containing isolated examples of an artist's work: the decoration was shaped around a continuing relationship with one religious setting.

Useful to know

• Check parish visiting information before planning a visit around Veronese’s paintings.
• Study the saint figures outside before following their themes in the interior.

Your next visit

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