The church in Campo "San Francesco della Vigna" takes its name from the vineyard owned by Marco Ziani, son of Doge Pietro, that used to grow in this area. The land when then left to the Franciscan Order in 1253 which built the first church on this site.

In 1534, the Franciscan monks commissioned the building of the current church by Jacopo Sansovino following a few of the rules in the Cabala. The façade, commissioned by the Patriarch of Aquileia, was designed by Palladio. The austere interior contains works by Paolo Veronese, Bellini and Fra Giovanni da Negroponte.

The monastery adjacent to the church has two large cloisters, one of which was a cemetery where many members of the Venetian gentry were buried. Today these two cloisters are often used for concerts, temporary shows and pavilions for the Venice Biennale d’Arte.

1500 - CASTELLO - rev. 0.1.7