Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice, Italy

The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, usually just called the Frari, is one of the greatest churches in Venice. The Franciscans were granted land to build a church in 1250, but the building was not completed until 1338. Work almost immediately began on its much larger replacement, the current church, which took over a century to build. The campanile, the second tallest in the city after that of San Marco, was completed in 1396.

The imposing edifice is built of brick, and is one of the city's three notable churches built in the Italian Gothic style. As with many Venetian churches, the exterior is rather plain. The interior contains the only rood screen still in place in Venice.

Titian, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school of painting, is interred in the Frari.

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User Reviews

Bryan Jacobs (2 years ago)
A truly underappreciated gem. Unique amongst a sea of churches to see in Italy. Free Rick Steves audio tour and a Donatello sculpture.

swisstype (2 years ago)
I'm a sucker for an old church, and this is right up my alley. Lots of intricate work, whether it's stone, wood, fresco, you name it. Some date to the 15th century. Take your time, get an audio guide and learn about things and people you've never heard of. It was a beautiful time and place, learn about the people who were in it.

Melvin J. (2 years ago)
Within the basilica, you can find important religious relics, including the remains of St. John the Baptist and St. Francis of Assisi. These relics have attracted pilgrims and visitors throughout history.

Teodora Pungartar (2 years ago)
I actually really liked this one. We were just walking around and just around the corner was this beautiful church. We also witnessed a wedding on our way back, that a lot of tourist was watching and cheered. It's something special.

Love (2 years ago)
It’s very pretty and worth it if you have a bit of free time but it’s not anything special as far as Italian churches go. There are definitely some gorgeous parts of it. It took me about 25 minutes to look at everything and I was taking my time so it’s easy to squeeze into your schedule! FYI it’s closed to the public sometimes for funerals and celebrations. ◡̈

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