Continuing on with our exploration of some of the churches of Venice, we turn today to San Nicolò dei Mendicoli, located in the Dorsoduro district of the city. The original church on this site is considered to have been one of the oldest within Venice with the original foundation thought to date to the seventh century. The present structure, however, dates to the thirteenth century.
From the outside, the church is relatively non-descript -- at least by Venetian standards, but one can see its earlier Romanesque form:
To the side is the Renaissance era portico.
As you look past this magnificent balustrade and into the sanctuary itself, one can once again see the earlier Romanesque roots of this church, with its open-trussed ceiling visible here (covered by a drop ceiling in the nave), as well the classic semi-circular apse.
The original high altar itself comes from a later period, likely the Renaissance, and features an image of the church's patron saint, S. Nicolò.
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Also going along the length of the nave are a series of gilt, polychrome wooden statues which are dated to the year 1580.
The church has suffered much over the centuries, being in one of the lowest lying regions of Venice and thus has been subject to frequent flooding. Fortunately for us, measures were taken in the latter half of the twentieth century to help protect and preserve this beautiful church.
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