Point of interest

Church of St. Zenone and St. Martin


A centuries-old church of the saints Zenone and Martin

In the historic centre of Lazise, near Porta San Zeno, there is the majestic church of the saints Zenone and Martin, characterised by a white façade that, together with its decorated columns, resembles an ancient Roman temple. Another peculiarity of this church is its high white square bell tower with a clock.

The first documents mentioning the existence of the present church of San Zenone date back to the 12th century. The church was built inside the fortifications of Lazise, as a chapel belonging to the parish church of San Martino, which was located outside the walls. An event that decided the fate of the old parish church was the attack by the troops of Arrigo di Brunswick in 1528. Acting in the service of Charles V, he put Lazise to fire and sword, destroying the parish church of San Martino, which was then abandoned.

At the end of the 18th century, the architect Luigi Trezza was commissioned to design the extension of the church, but the work was interrupted shortly afterwards due to the arrival of Napoleon’s French troops. Restoration work resumed in 1820, but was again suspended due to lack of funds and finally completed in 1840-41 thanks to the help of the population.

The church is in perfect neoclassical style, as shown by the columns supporting the entablature concluded with Corinthian capitals. Inside, there are two side altars that date back to the previous church uniting the old with the new. In addition, you will find some other works of art such as the St. Martin altarpiece in the choir, the Way of the Cross, the Sacred Heart altarpiece and the Christ.

Helpful information

Chiesa parrocchiale dei Santi Zenone e Martino, Via Chiesa, Lazise, VR, Italia

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