Where is all this happening? MURANO…

The island of MURANO is rich in history, art and evocative corners, if I were you, I would not miss the following if you happen to be there:

THE CHURCHES OF MURANO

The Cathedral of Santa Maria and San Donato, also known as the Cathedral of Murano, was initially dedicated only to Mary. Later the relics of San Donato were placed there, and so the church was dedicated to the both of them. It is the main Catholic place of worship of the island and it is one of the greatest examples of Romanesque style in the lagoon.

The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli was founded in honor of the Virgin, where the relics of the Doge Sebastiano Venier, hero of Lepanto, are preserved. The church was then converted into a lazaret.

The church of San Pietro martire was built in honor of San Giovanni Battista, but it was then destroyed by a fire from which nothing could be recovered. Then again, the church was rebuilt and named after the Dominican martyr Pietro da Verona.
In the church there are also paintings by Giovanni Bellini and Paolo Veronese and the glass chandeliers with the famous almond-shaped glass.

Palazzo da Mula is currently the seat of the Municipality of Murano. The facade is in Gothic style with an influence of the Veneto-Byzantine style. Palazzo da Mula was completely renovated about ten years ago.

Not far away from Palazzo da Mula you will find Piazza Campo Santo Stefano, where the “comet glass star” by the master Cenedese is located: emblem of the famous art of Murano glass processing, which, over time, has become one of the symbols of the island.

The Church of Santa Chiara was initially dedicated to San Nicolò, at the time called “della Torre”, in honor of a watchtower that used to stand in the square.

It was originally identified as an Augustinian convent, where the doge Nicolò Dona was buried. However, at the end of the 20th century, the church suffered a partial collapse and was eventually abandoned. Nowadays, Santa Chiara is not a church anymore, but rather a place to gather and watch musical and theatrical performances, along with performances of the glass processing techniques.

Lastly, the Murano lighthouse was initially a wooden tower at the end of which fires were lit, producing light thanks to a combination of plays of mirrors. Now, however, the Murano Lighthouse has been removed from its original location and sits now in a different one, built in Istrian marble and operating through automated electricity with a glass dome.