San Michele in Isola

San Michele in Isola is a Roman Catholic church in Venice, northern Italy, located on the Isola di San Michele which houses the cemetery of the city. It was rebuilt from 1469 onwards and is dedicated to Saint Michael, the holder of the scales on Judgement Day, a fit guardian of the sleep of the faithful dead.

 

The first church known to have been designed by the architect Mauro Codussi, this is a reconstruction of an older church, that was commissioned by the Camaldolese community on the island in 1469. The church is built entirely in salt-white Istrian stone which weathers to a pale gray. San Michele is the first example of Renaissance architecture in Venice, with a facade that already shows the influence of Leon Battista Alberti.

 

The interior has a nave and two aisles, with precious decorations.

 

Next to the main facade is the Cappella Emiliani (1530). On the other side is the cloister of the 15th century, through which the cemetery can be reached.