Santa Maria dei Servi church
Arranged along the central Via Roma in Padua, we find theSanta Maria dei Servi church known in the city simply as Servi. Built between 1372 and 1390 by the will of Fina Buzzaccarini, wife of Francesco il Vecchio da Carrara, today it stands out for the side portal that opens into the portico whose arches erected in 1511 are supported by octagonal columns in red Verona marble. obtained from the fourteenth-century chapel of the Ark of the Saint. During the sixteenth century the church was subjected to important embellishment works especially by Bartolomeo da Campolongo.
The church was part of a convent complex which included the convent of the Servants of Mary, the Oratory of Sant'Omobono and the fraglia of Santa Maria del Parto.
In 1807 the Servite Fathers were removed and the structure was incorporated into the state property.
In the 20s of the 1900s the church received numerous restoration works and numerous restorations have recently been carried out. In 1963 the church was returned to ecclesiastical property and in June 2014 the Bishop of Padua accepted the request of the Superior of the Order of the Servants of Mary to be able to return to their historic Church.
The interior of the structure is vast, measuring about 57 meters by 17 where the monumental Altar of the Addolorata stands out in Baroque style, a style that seems to be inspired by the classic southern Baroque, with large leaves in Carrara marble, polychrome marbles and bronzes (the seven pains of the Virgin).
To the side of the altar on the right side we find the deposition of Jacopo Parisati and the remains of 14th century frescoes. Continuing we meet the altar of Sant 'Antonio where we find the baptismal font, an eighteenth-century statue and a small painting by Alessandro Maganza. Following are the frescoes by Girolamo del Santo, the telieri by Matteo Ghidoni "de' pitocchi" and the funeral monuments of Emilio Campolongo and Doimo Olzignani.
The events of February 1512 where for 15 days the crucifix in poplar wood almost two meters high, oozed blood from the face and chest of Christ. This extraordinary event overwhelmed the artistic importance of the work now attributed to Donatello.
The author's memory of the crucifix was lost, but thanks to the miraculous event and the intervention of the then bishop Paolo Zabarella (who had personally witnessed the bleeding), the work was preserved and protected in a chapel next to the apse and for centuries it was venerated as a miraculous crucifix.
In 2008 some researches led to the hypothesis of attribution to Donatello and thanks to a high-level restoration including the removal of the bronze painting originally placed as protection, and the positioning of the crucifix in a reproduction of a frame by the artist to the confirmed by the circumstances.
Santa Maria dei Servi Church
Address: Vicolo dei Servi, 3, 35122
Phone: 049 875 0781
Site:
https://www.thetourexpert.com/countries/italy-travel-guide/cities-in-italy/veneto-italy/paduapadova-veneto-italy/church-of-santa-maria-dei-servi-padua-italyLocation inserted by
Dario Antonio