San Martino Vescovo Church Church

San Martino Vescovo, the church of Burano

The main church of Burano, San Martino Vescovo borders Piazza Baldassare Galuppi, in the heart of the island.

A sanctuary dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours became the parish church of Burano after the year 1000, but the building was rebuilt several times.

It mostly took on its current appearance between the 16th and 17th centuries and was consecrated in 1645 by Marco Antonio Martinengo, bishop of Torcello.

The exterior is particularly sober: the planned monumental facade was never completed, and one enters the church through a Renaissance side entrance, near the Santa Barbara chapel.

The interior, much richer, adopts a Latin cross plan with three naves, with a transept and side chapels.

Other works include notably a Baptism of Christ by Francesco Trevisani and several Venetian paintings from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

The church also underwent several important restorations in the 19th century.

In 1913, a fire destroyed the ceiling of the main nave as well as the old organ by Gaetano Callido, replaced the same year by an instrument from the Mascioni firm.

Visit: the church is currently open daily from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Free entry. Visits must naturally respect services and religious celebrations.

The leaning campanile of Burano

San Martino's silhouette is dominated by its spectacular leaning campanile, which has become one of Burano's main visual landmarks.

Attributed to the Venetian architect Andrea Tirali, it was built between 1703 and 1714.

Its square tower of exposed brick reaches about 53 meters in height for 6.20 meters on each side at the base.

The bell chamber and the spire are accented with Istrian stone elements.

Its lean comes from the uneven settling of the lagoon ground and its foundations.

The tower's axis currently shows a deviation of about 1.85 meters between the base and the top.

The first movements were observed very early and progressed slowly for centuries before accelerating after the Second World War.

The situation finally led to major consolidation work, completed in 1970, which stabilized the building.

The tower stands out from afar above Burano's low houses. Its lean is particularly noticeable from the Terranova Bridge and the nearby banks, which offer more perspective than Piazza Galuppi and make it easier to measure the tower's deviation from the vertical.

The Santa Barbara Chapel: the relics of a patron saint of sailors in Burano

Adjacent to the San Martino church, a small chapel houses one of the island's most unexpected treasures: the relics of Saint Barbara, a 3rd-century martyr venerated for centuries as the protectress of sailors, artillerymen, and all those who face fire or storm.

A long journey from Constantinople

According to tradition, the saint's relics arrived in Venice thanks to Maria Argyropoula, presented as the niece of the Byzantine emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII, married to the son of Doge Pietro II Orseolo.

They entered St Mark's Basilica in 1003, before being transferred in 1009 to the chapel of a Venetian monastery, where they remained until the 18th century.

During the suppression of convents ordered under Napoleonic rule, the relics of Saint Barbara were transferred to the San Martino church in Burano.

The choice of this small fishing island to welcome the patron saint of sailors is no coincidence: here she finds a community for whom protection at sea remains, even today, a very real concern.

Sources and further information

• San Martino : Isola di Burano — San Martino and Burano's heritage ; Archivio storico del Patriarcato di Venezia — Parish of San Martino ; Wikipedia (it) — Church of San Martino in Burano.
• Santa Barbara : Velaveneta.it — Santa Barbara, the sailors' patron saint ; Parrocchia San Martino Vescovo di Burano — Saint Barbara.