Chap. lit. L OW-CoUNTklE 
licks in this Church, and pretend, that they are both 
very authentick and potent ; however, fince they confift 
only of Arms, Legs, and Jaw Bones, I will not trouble 
you with a Catalogue of them ; But when I meet with 
iome holy Curiofity, which deferves to be particularly 
taken Notice of, as fome Foreskin of a Philijiine, fome 
Peafe of St. Francises Iffue, or a Shoe of the Frojan 
Horfe, you may expeft to hear of it. As for the Church 
of St. Samuely it will be fufEcient to tell you, that there 
is nothing remarkable to be feen in it : Sc. Job's is a 
very fine Building. In the Veftry they keep a Body 
of St. Luke^ and the Benedi^ins oi St. Jn§ima at Padua^ 
have another : But fince the Pope declared for the for- 
mer, the Monks of Padua have very prudently taken 
the Refolution to be filent. 
At St. Jeremy'Sy which is a fine Edifice, they have 
one of that Prophet’s Teeth, and it is reafonable they 
fhould have a Relick of their Nation. If the reft had 
imitated fo judicious an Example, we might, perhaps, 
have had the Pleafure to have feen one of Mofes's Horns 
and Job's Scabs. The great Altar, and the Tomb of 
St. John the Martyr, Duke of AlexandHa, are the moft 
remarkable Things I oblerved at St. Daniel's. St. Za- 
chary's is a fine Building. The Archite6lure is not mo- 
dern, but the Front is enriched with fine Marble, and 
the Infide beautified with many Ornaments. There are 
alfo magnificent Altars in it. The famous Church of 
St. Mark is fo inriehed with Mofaickl^ork, that, in this 
Refped, the Churches of St. George Major and della 
Salute ought not to come in Competition with it : But 
if we confider the Architedure of St. Mark, it is an ob- 
fcure Place, in Comparifon to thofe Churches. The beft 
Judges give the Preference to St. George's, but common 
Eyes find fomething in the Church della Salute that is 
more agreeable to them. The Defigns are quite dif- 
ferent : St. George's is not unlike to St. JuJtina's at Pa- 
dua, for the Contrivance or Guflo is the fame in both. 
It is true, St. JuJiina's is larger, and perhaps more 
magnificent within, but its Outfide is naked ; whereas 
the other is adorned with an admirable Front. The 
great Altar in this Church is enriched with Marble of 
the fineft Sort, and curioufly wrought : It is alfo adorn- 
ed with feveral Statues, the chief of which are the four 
Evangelifts fupporting a World, on which there is a 
Padre Eterno. The Whole is of Brafs gilt. The Seats 
of the Canons round the Choir are of Walnut Tree, 
on which the Life of St. BenediSl is defcribed in very 
fine Bajfo relievo, where the Rules of Perfpeflive are 
well obferved. In a Chapel near the Tomb of the Procu- 
rator Vincent Morcfini, thofe, who have good Eyes, ob- 
ferve on a Marble Pillar, and on fome Places on the 
Balifters, Fifties, Birds, and other Things naturally fi- 
gured, and even an entire Crucifix ; I mean the Eyes 
of Imagination ; for there is nothing like it in Reality, 
though certain little Books, that are to be bought at 
Venice, fayfo. 
In this Church they have the Body of St, Stephen the 
Proto-martyr, which a pious Woman called Juliana, 
brought from Jerufalem to Conjlantinople, from whence 
it was afterwards tranfported to Venice by one Peter a 
Monk. The whole Story is defcribed at Length in 
two long Latin Infcriptions, which I had the Patience 
to tranfcribe, but I am afraid you would not have the 
Patience to read. The Choir, Altars, Floor, Dome, 
and Veftry, of the Church della Salute, are all extremely 
beautiful : The Foundations of this Strudlure were laid 
March the 25th, 1631, two Years being fpent in fixing 
the Piles. The Occafion is related in an Infcription 
vv^hich was placed on the firft Stone ; importing, a Vow 
to the Virgin for Deliverance from the Plague. This 
Church was built by Balthafar Longhena : It is adorned 
both without and within with about one hundred and 
thirty Marble Statues. It was erecfed at the Charge of 
the Publick ; whereas moft of the other Churches were 
built by private Families, and confequently may be look’d 
upon as fo many Marks either of their Vanity or Piety, 
and at the fame time, of their vaft Riches. On the great 
Altar there is a Statue of the Virgin holding the little 
Jefut in her Arms. The Genius of Venice on her Right 
Hand imploring her Affiftance to ftop the Progrefs of 
VoL. II. Numb. 106, 
Ge RMAN &c. ^4j 
that mortal and contagious Diftempef : On the other 
Side is Pefiilence flying, purfued by an Angel with a 
Torch in his Hand. St. Mark is prefent with the 
bleflTed Lazvrence, J ufiiniani, 2.udi feveral others. All 
thefe Statues are of fine Marble, and wrought by a cu- 
rious Hand. I dare not undertake to defcribe all the 
Embelliftiments of this noble Structure. 
St. James de Rialto is faid to be the firft Church that 
was built on thefe Spots of Ground on which Venice is 
founded *, but it has been fo often deftroyed and re- 
built, that it riiay be reckoned a new Church, not- 
withftanding all its boafted Antiquity. The Altar 
in the great Chapel is of white Marble, and adorned 
with a fine Statue of St. James by Alex. Vidioria. St, 
Mark's Church is but a Chapel to the Doge’s Palace, 
St. Peter di Cajiello is the Epifcopal and Patriarchal 
Church, pretty large, and the Front deferves to be ta- 
ken Notice of for its beautiful Simplicity ; and though 
no extraordinary Care has been taken to embellifli this 
Church, there are fome very confiderable Ornaments^ 
and feveral remarkable Things to be feen in it. The 
great Altar was ereded by the Senate, in Purfuance of 
a Vow they had made during the War againft the 
Turks in 1649. It is dedicated to the Beato Lorenzo and 
the Body of that Demi-Saint is placed there, in a ftatel^ 
Marble Tomb, fupported by Angels and Apoftles. 
The Statue of Beato ftands upon the Tomb, and that 
contains his Bones. I have feen fome devout Perfons 
kifs a Stone Chair, which is kept in this Church, on 
the Right Hand as you enter betwixt the fecond and 
third Altar, by the Wall. They pretend that St. Peter 
made Ufe of it when he was 2X Antioch ; and a Sacriftan. 
informed me, that it was a Prefent of Michael' P alao- 
bogus. Emperor of Conjlantinople. The fame Perfon 
told me a Story of a Brazen Crofs that was found float- 
ing in fome Part of the Lagunes, and brought with a 
great deal of Ceremony to this Church. They have a 
Veneration for it, but the Crofs could never tell them- 
what kept it from finking when it was in the Water ; 
and though it is evidently miraculous, nobody may fay 
that he remembers to have feen it working any Mi- 
racle : So that notwithftanding every Church, and al- 
moft every Chapel, is abundantly provided with Pieces 
of the true Croft, this brazen one, as extraordinary as 
it is, is fomewhat neglefted. 
The Monks of St. Michael, betwixt Venice and Mu- 
ram, have, in the Chapel of the Family Priolo^ a fine 
one, which is endued with a particular Virtue to ap- 
peaie Tempefts ; The Hiftory of it is full of furprifing 
Wonders : It is written on a Scroll of Vellum in fo an- 
tique a Manner, that this Confideration alone would be 
fufficient to prove the Truth of the Relation, though 
they had no other Arguments to confirm it. It was 
in Ufage heretofore, that never any VeflTel fet Sail from 
the Port of Venice, till the Pilot and all the Ship’s 
Crew had recommended themfelves to the Protedion 
of this miraculous Croft : But the Heat of this Devo- 
tion is much abated, for it feems it is the Misfortune 
of Venice, as well as of other Places, that good Cuftoms 
are fooner forgotten than bad ones. The Choir of the 
Church is much commended for the Richnefs and 
Beauty of the Work. In a little Chamber near the 
Choir there is a Map of the World drawn with the 
Hand, and adorned with Miniatures, which is certainly 
a curious Piece. He that made it was a Monk of this 
Convent, as it appears by the Medals that were ftruck 
on that Occafion, with this Motto, Prater Maurus S. 
Michaelis, Morianenfis, de Venetiis, Ordinis Camaldulenjis^ 
Cofmographus incomparabilis. The Monk, . who fhewed 
us thefe Things, carried us to a little but magnificent 
Chapel near the Church : He faid, the People gene- 
rally believed that it was built by a Courtezan, with the 
Profits of her Vocation % yet at the fame Time he aft 
fured us, in ftrong Terms, that they were miftaken. 
But what fignifies it, whether true or falfe. Solon built 
a Temple to Venus, with the Money that was earned 
by common Proftitutes ; and v^hy fhould they not do 
the fame at Rome and Venice, where fuch lewd Women 
are not only tolerated, but invited, proteded, coun- 
tenanced, and publickly allowed The Convent can- 
A Z' ' iio£ 
