Church of Santa Maria Assunta Church

Santa Maria Assunta, heir to the ancient cathedral of Metamauco

The Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Malamocco is the heir to the ancient cathedral of Metamauco, seat of a bishopric before its transfer to Chioggia at the beginning of the 12th century. After the abandonment of the old lagoon settlement, a new church was erected in the present-day Malamocco; largely rebuilt in the 15th century after the destruction of the War of Chioggia, it was further remodeled in 1557 and then in the Baroque period. It remains today the main religious building of the village.

Its architecture preserves traces of this long history. The sober facade is punctuated by pilasters and pierced by a Gothic portal bearing the initials of Benedetto Belegno, podestà of Malamocco in 1494. Beside it stands a massive Romanesque bell tower, whose silhouette is inspired by that of St Mark's. The interior, with a single nave, was largely transformed in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Several works recall Malamocco's close ties with the lagoon. The Baroque high altar bears an Assumption of the Virgin from the school of Tintoretto, while a large canvas by Girolamo Forabosco, the Miraculous Rescue of a Shipwreck, shows how the sea, its dangers, and divine protection occupied a central place in the life of this community.

Santa Maria Assunta also preserves the famous Christ of Poveglia, a medieval crucifix from the church of San Vitale on the nearby island, transferred to Malamocco after its suppression at the beginning of the 19th century. Dated to the 14th century and probably of Dalmatian influence, it was once the object of significant devotion among the inhabitants and sailors of the lagoon.

Through its heritage as a former mother church, its works from other islands, and the religious traditions it preserves, Santa Maria Assunta sums up a large part of Malamocco's history: that of a centre once important in the organisation of the lagoon, now a discreet village without losing the memory of its past.

Sources and further information

Chorus Venezia - Santa Maria Assunta ; Visit Lido - Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta ; Catalogo Generale dei Beni Culturali - Madonna di Marina ; Comune di Venezia - Festa della Madonna di Marina.