San Zulian Historical Timeline

Origins

A church on this site is traditionally said to date back many centuries, dedicated to Saint Julian; the building was rebuilt more than once before its present Renaissance form took shape in the 16th century.

Turning points

The current facade was designed by the architect Jacopo Sansovino and, after his death in 1570, completed by Alessandro Vittoria. It was financed by Tommaso Rangone, a physician and philologist, on the condition that the facade serve as a monument to himself -- his bronze statue, attributed to Sansovino, still looks out from above the entrance.

Influential people

The church was consecrated in 1580, and the decoration of its nave and ceiling was largely completed within the following decade -- among the artists who contributed were Palma the Younger, whose ceiling painting depicts the triumph of Saint Julian, and Paolo Veronese, whose 1581-82 altarpiece for the Strazzaroli guild remains in the church today.

Cultural evolution

Later additions to the church's seven altars came from parish confraternities and devotional schools, each furnishing its own side altar over time, layering successive generations of Venetian religious life onto the same interior.

Present-day significance

San Zulian remains an active parish church, and Tommaso Rangone's unusual arrangement -- funding a church facade in exchange for his own commemorative statue -- is still one of the more visible examples of Renaissance patronage on display in Venice.