3.2 The monastery among liberality and donations. The successful life of the missionary, Sagredo, brought the monastery a great deal of fame, and initiated a sort of competition for donations to the institution: civil and religious authorities, even ordinary citizens commenced with a generosity that would have never ended had it not been for the eventual suppression of the monument. During that particular period, more than any other, Venice was the world centre for culture, literary, philosophical, and artistic dissertations. In this illuminating and prestigious intellectual climate the monastery of San Giorgio rose to maximum religious importance. Such was her fame in 1177, when Pope Alexander III and Emperor Federico (Barbarossa) arrived in Venice desiring to visit the church and bestow to the monks the privileges of their predecessors. The following year, Doge Sebastian Ziani, benefactor of the monastery and mediator of the historic papal meeting, feeling burdened by his advanced age, went there to die.
In 1223, a tremendous earthquake shook Venice and destroyed the church and monastery. With the help of Doge Pietro Ziani, its reconstruction was initiated immediately. It's said that in 1229, when the Doge passed away, he was clothed in Benedictine monk's garb. His corpse was buried next to his father's, not only for familial reasons, but also at the insistence of the Venetian people, who wished to recognise and honour the memory of the most brilliant era of the lagoon capital. In fact, under Ziani's rule, Venice conducted numerous battles that substantially enriched her power and wealth (in the Fourth Crusade alone, led victoriously by Enrico Dandolo, a quarter of the Grecian Empire was secured and became part of the Venetian Republic). He is also credited with significantly enlarging and subsequently adorning the "pala d'oro" of St. Mark's Basilica with precious gems and pearls.
Imitating his father, Pietro willed all moneys and possessions to institutions, congregation, churches, and hospitals. It is interesting to note that according to certain legends, Doge Ziani met St. Francis after his return from preaching in the Orient. Upon arriving on the island that bears his name (San Francesco), he commanded the birds to stop singing until he could pray. Overcome by what he had witnessed, Pietro permitted the Franciscans permission to construct the majestic church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.
6.2 Restoration and prestigious works for the Abbey. Between 1560 and 1562 several great works were commissioned: the Refectory by Palladio and the immense canvas by Veronese that was to decorate it. The refectory can be defined as a masterpiece of exquisite proportion, so much so that the architect was assigned the task of modernising the interior of the church. Veronese's work immediately became the focal point of the world's admiration (Napoleon, in fact chose to "import" it in 1797). In addition, Veronese painted the walls that faced the huge canvas. Most likely they were figures of two large angels, executed a gouache; time, however, did not permit the preservation of these works.
At the same time, the monks commissioned Tintoretto to decorate the walls along the sides of the Main Altar, ("The Gathering of Manna" and "The Last Supper"). It is surprising that the role was not assigned to Titian, but the great maestro was already in Venice working on other masterpieces. On March 3, 1556 in the presence of Abbot Andrea Pampuro of Asolo, all the monks, Doge Gerolamo Priuli and a multitude of religious, the foundation of the church was torn down to render it more spacious and aesthetically pleasing according to Palladio's plan. What did the architect have in mind when he began this "floating" masterwork? In the fourth book of his Treatise on Architecture, he explains, "It is necessary to construct the front of the temple in such a way that it is visible from the city. Of great importance is to design the interior space so that the human eye perceives it easily and with pleasure."
Among other Renaissance maestri who contributed to the stately constructions that we still admire today, Scamozzi and Vittoria are worthy of mention as well as Sebastiano Ricci and Alberghetti, who worked much later. It took fifty years to complete this work; by 1581 however, the church was already enclosed and usable. In fact, the old one was demolished and the body of St. Stephen, martyr, was placed in the new, with a ceremony attended by Patriarch Giovanni Trevisano and Doge Niccolo daPonte, and the Senate. Work on the church went on uninterrupted until the death of Maestro Palladio in 1580. In 1643, under the direction of Longhena, work of the convent stairwell was initiated. It was necessary to conceive a monumental staircase that would be adapted to the new cloister, one that would be suitable to the solemn atmosphere of the main salons and the receiving room. He composed a double ramp stairway with superimposed loges. It is a work of such stature, that it is considered the most opulent in Venice (it was later imitated by Massari for the Palazzo Grassi). In 1652 Longhena was once again at San Giorgio, this time to whiten the façade of the church. He completed several other works: in 1657, the enlargement of the noviciate house in 1677, the restoration of the infirmary, and in 1680, the supervision of the guest houses. The architect died two years later, never having had the joy of seeing the consecration of his greatest accomplishment, la Chiesa della Salute (Church of Salute), inaugurated the ninth of November, 1687.
The yards of San Giorgio were always bustling with activity even until the last days of the monastery. Every time a building was constructed it was necessary to commission new works to adorn the walls, furthermore it was necessary to decorate the Abbot's rooms in a suitable manner, that is, one that was in keeping with the stateliness of the temple. Subsequently, there was a continuous introduction of new commissions and celebrated artists. Diverse artists worked at San Giorgio, among others, were Palma il Giovane, Tizianello, Tintoretto the lesser, Carlevaris, Gherardi, Coli, and Loth. In 1774, the bell tower collapsed. It was reconstructed over the course of fifteen years with the generous financial help of the Venetian Senate and according to the plan of Brother Benedetto Buratti from Bologna.
By now, the political and economic situation in Venice foreshadowed the fall of the Republic. The city was held between Napoleon Bonaparte at Peschiera (near Verona) and the French ships who were attempting to reinforce the port of Lido. The staggering riches of the earlier days of the city by this time were spent to arm her in hopes of at least saving the state capital from the war's destruction. Offers poured in from citizens, communities, and religious who donated moneys to the Senate to help the cause. Without doubt, the most generous was that of the Abbot of San Giorgio Maggiore, who delivered the impressive sum of sixty thousand ducats. (The monks had previously made other substantial contributions to the Republic: in 1606, the year of the Interdict; in 1657, during the war of Cadia; in 1693 in the war against the Turks.)
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