San Martino is named after Saint Martin of Tours, the third century saint famous for giving half his cloak to a beggar. He is one of the most famous saints of France, but venerated all over Europe as a paradigm of Christian charity. The building begun around 1550 was designed by the great Jacopo Sansovino, sculptor and architect.
Jacopo Sansovino
b. as Jacopo Tatti, Florence 1486 - d. Venice 1570
Jacopo Sansovino began his sculpture career in Rome. He adopted the last name of his teacher, Andrea Sansovino. After the sack of Rome in 1527, he left for Venice, fully expecting to return to Rome. He never did. With the encouragement of Doge Andrea Gritti, Sansovino quickly became the most influential architect of Venice. He is responsible for the re-design of the Piazza San Marco. He designed the Biblioteca Marciana and the Loggetta near the base of the bell tower of San Marco. He designed San Francisco della Vigna, and participated in the design of other parish churches, and many other projects. His sculptures include the 'St. John the Baptist' in the Frari, the 'Mars' and 'Neptune' at the top of the Scala dei Giganti at the Doges' Palace, and several works in San Salvatore.
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1) San Martino (exterior designed by Jacopo Sansovino) [74]
