SAN ZACCARIA
Relics of St Zaccaria & St Athanasius
The altar was designed by Allessandro Vittoria in Venetian Mannerism style. It is chacterized by high emotionalism, expressive realism and a shift from the High Renaissance symmetry in favor of dynamic, smaller scale and sometimes emotional sculpture.
COMMISSIONED
ALTAR & TOMB DESIGNED BY
Allesandro Vittoria
COMPLETED
1599
The Architectural Plan
TAP THE IMAGE TO EXPLORE DETAILS
REMAINS OF ST ATHANASIUS
St. Athanasius of Alexandria was a 4th-century bishop who led the Church for over 40 years. He became known for defending the idea that Jesus is fully divine—not a created being—at a time when this was heavily debated. Because he refused to back down, he was exiled five times by different Roman emperors, spending more than 17 years in banishment.
In 1973, Pope Paul VI returned part of his remains to Pope Shenouda III. These relics are now kept in Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral.
Unlike most churches in Italy, the relics here are not placed beneath the altar—they are displayed along the wall, together with those of St Zaccaria.
REMAINS OF ST ZACCARIA (1ST CENTURY BC)
What we know about Zaccaria and his wife Elizabeth comes from early Christian texts. He was a priest in the Jerusalem temple, part of a large rotating priesthood serving in shifts.
As told in the Gospel of Luke, one day, while performing his duties in the inner sanctuary, the Angel Gabriel appeared to Zaccaria and he was told his wife—despite their old age—would have a son. They were to name the baby John and this baby would be a great man. Because of his lack of faith the angel struck him deaf and mute.
At the birth, Elizabeth insisted the child be named John. When Zaccaria confirmed this in writing, his speech was immediately restored.
Their son became known as John the Baptist.
ST ZACCARIA: PALMA IL GIOVANE (abt 1605)
There is not clear record of a specific patron or commission for this painting. San Zaccaria is the center figure placed over his actual tomb. This painting was likely made for the this church. Zaccaria, father of John the Baptist, is typically portrayed in Renaissance painting as a reverent, elderly man.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
The Story Behind the Monument
The Beginnings: St Zaccariah
In the early 800’s, Doge Giustiniano Partecipazio records that the monastery of San Zaccaria was built under the authority and financial support of Emperor Leo V the Armenian. The emperor provided materials, craftsmen, and sacred relics—including those of St Zaccaria and a fragment of the True Cross.
In return, the nuns were to offer ongoing prayers for the emperor and his legacy, firmly linking the monastery to imperial power and patronage.
The Beginnings: St Athanasius
St Athanasius’ remains were likely transported from Alexandria to Venice during the late 7th Century, or later periods of regional instability. Due to tensions between Christians and Muslims in the region, Venetian merchants and sailors frequently relocated relics to prevent their destruction and raise the city’s religious profile.
From Crypt to Altar
Originally, the relics of St Zaccaria (and possibly St Athanasius) were kept in the sunken 10th-century crypt beneath the church—low, damp, and prone to flooding.
Relics on the Move
After the 15th-century rebuilding of the church, the relics were moved upward—first into the old nuns’ church, then into the apse that became the Chapel of San Tarasio (rebuilt c.1440–45), and finally to their current side altar.