San Nicolò Cloister

• Campo San Nicolò dei Mendicoli, 1907
• Venice

The Church of San Nicolò is located in the northern part of Venice Lido and houses the relics of St. Nicholas, patron of sailors (shared with Bari).

Here is celebrated the traditional thanksgiving mass of the Sposalizio del Mare ("Marriage of the Sea"). The complex is held by the Franciscan order.

The convent and the church date to the origins of the independent Venice, in the early Middle Ages. From here, in 996, 998 and 1000, sailed off the first expeditions against the Narentines and the Dalmatians, which, under Doge Pietro II Orseolo, led to the submission of Dalmatia to the republic of Venice.

The Doge Domenico Selvo was crowned here in 1071.

The church, with a single nave, is annexed to a convent and a cloister, all dating to the XVIth century. The Baroque campanile was erected in 1626-1629.

The façade is surmounted by a statue of Doge Domenico Contarini, who patronized the convent.

Max. capacity: 600 people (350 people under the arcades and 250 people in the centre)