Scalzi Church

The Church of S. Maria di Nazareth, better known to locals as the Church “dei Scalzi”, stands directly in front of the Scalzi Bridge. Construction on the church began in 1654 on a design by Baldassare Longhena for a small community of Carmelitani Scalzi which gave it its name. The extravagant façade, designed by Giuseppe Sardi, is adorned with statues in ornately decorated alcoves. The decoration of the interior was executed by several artists, among whom Giovan Battista Tiepolo, who frescoed a chapel and the ceiling. This masterpiece was destroyed by an Austrian bomb in 1915, but two pieces of the original were rescued are now held in the Fine Arts Academy.