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San Tomà and its Campo

And the school of shoemakers, too

Church of San Tomà on the eponymous campo Venice.

Founded in 919 and restored several times since, San Tomà once had a facade by Longhena, but it was at the point of falling off in 1742 when it was replaced by the current classical style front, complete with a rare statue of St Theodore, Venice's first patron saint with his toothy dragon.

It was closed for work in 1984 and has yet to reopen, and probably never will (it's owned by the Frari, which now serves as the parish church for the neighbourhood).

In its day however, this church dedicated to St 'Doubting' Thomas was famous, housing one of the biggest batches of relics in all Christendom, including a record 12 intact bodies and 10,000 other bits and pieces accumulated from deconsecrated churches by a particularly dogged parish priest.

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Churches

San Polo/Santa Croce

Scuole: Guilds & Confraternities

Text © Dana Facaros & Michael Pauls

Images by Didier Descouens