Page 185 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Venice & The Veneto

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Eremitani Museums

This museum complex occupies a group of 14th-century
monastic buildings attached to the church of the Eremitani, a
reclusive Augustinian Order. The admission ticket includes
entry to the Scrovegni Chapel (see pp184–5), which stands
nearby, overlooking the city’s Roman amphi theatre, and to
the Archaeology Museum, the Medieval and Modern Art
Museum, and the Bottacin Museum – a display of coins and
medals housed in the Palazzo Zuckerman across the road.

The Museums
The highlight of the rich
archaeological collection is
the temple-like tomb of the
Volumni family, dating from the Angels in Armour (15th century) by
1st century AD. Among several Guariento in the Art Museum
other Roman tombstones from
the Veneto region is one to the especially the comical Drinking
young dancer Claudia Toreuma Satyr by Il Riccio (1470–1532).
– sadly, a fairly dull inscribed Coin collectors should make
column rather than a portrait. a point of visiting the Bottacin
The collection also includes Museum. Among the exhibits
some fine mosaics, along with there is an almost complete
The tomb of the Volumni family in the several impressive life-size set of Venetian coinage and
archaeological collection statues depicting muscular some very rare examples of
Roman deities and toga-clad Roman medallions.
dignitaries. For most visitors the The massive Medieval and
Eremitani Church
Renaissance bronzes are likely Modern Art Museum is well
Alongside the museum to be the most appealing worth a visit. It covers the
complex is the Eremitani feature of the museum, history of Venetian art, with
church (1276–1306), with its paintings from Giotto to the
magnificent roof and wall 1700s. Another section looks
tombs. Interred here is Marco at Giotto and his influence on
Benavides (1489–1582), a local art, using the Crucifix from
professor of law at the city the Scrovegni Chapel as its
university whose mausoleum centrepiece. The Crucifix is
was designed by Ammannati, flanked by an army of angels
a Renaissance (late 15th century)
architect from painted in gorgeous
Florence. Sadly colours by the
missing from artist Guariento.
the church are Another 15th-
Andrea Mantegna’s century painting
celebrated frescoes worth a look is
of the lives of St James and Portrait of a Young
St Christopher (1454–7), which Senator by Giovanni Bellini.
were destroyed during a
bombing raid in 1944. Two VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
scenes from this magnificent
work survive in the Ovetari Practical Information
Chapel, south of the sanctuary. Piazza Eremitani 8.
The Martyrdom of St James was Tel 049 820 45 51.
reconstructed from salvaged ∑ turismopadova.it
fragments, and The Martyrdom Open 9am–7pm Tue–Sun.
of St Christopher was removed Only chapel open Mon.
carefully and stored elsewhere Closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 & 26 Dec.
& ^ = 7
before the bombing. Other-
wise only photographs on the Transport
walls remain to hint at the Early 14th-century crucifix on loan @
quality of the lost works. from the Scrovegni Chapel

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