What is a Frari, anyway? It’s strange that few of those who have been there and know what The Frari is, know of its true name. You will now be among those in the know.
Aerial view of the Frari
The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, usually just called The Frari, is a church located in a campo in the San Polo district of Venice. It’s big. It’s old. It’s made of brick. And, it’s not very beautiful on the outside (it is of Franciscan lineage, after all)…but on the inside it’s magnificently ornamented.
How old is it? We know that in fourteen-hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…and that is the same year that the Frari was completed…after about a century of work.
Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari…aka The Frari
The church is dedicated to the assumption of Mary. A bit more on that later will explain why.
There are a good number of famous old dead people in the Frari. The interior is notable for many wall monuments to distinguished Venetians buried in the church, including a number of Doges (like a president of Venice) and the painter Titian.
Canova
Immediately upon entering the church, one such distinguished Venetian is Canova. He was famous for his marble sculptures. Thus, his burial chamber is a very large marble mausoleum of sorts. For a sense of scale, the doorway into the monument is lifesize.
Canova’s tomb
Nice huh? But, a bit much, don’t you think? He probably gets more square footage than any other of the Venetian characters. And to think, only his heart is buried there! But then again, look at the detail in these hand-carved embellishments.
Detail of Canova’s tomb
Not all is funeral in the Frari. These guys have been doing daily, back-breaking duty holding up that plinth for centuries. But, they seem to keep in good spirits.
Lion of Saint Mark
Whilst in Venice, you are never far from the winged lion, which is the symbol for Gospel-author Mark. Most of Mark is buried in the Bascilica of Saint Mark, on none other than Piazza San Marco. More on Mark’s significance to Venetians at another time.
Choir Stalls
Dead center in the Frari are the choir stalls and organ of the church. The choir stalls are a magnificent bit of woodwork by Marco Cozzi. The wood carvings and marquetry of each of the stalls are exemplary.
Take a moment to contemplate the work that went into the forty-or-so stalls, as shown in the photos below. Again, there were no modern woodworking tools available to the craftsmen.
Such amazing detail!!!
Titian’s Masterworks
Titian was an awesome Venetian artist. Though ‘Titian’ to you and me, his given name was ‘Tiziano Vecelli’. He was prolific in the early-16th century.
The Assumption of the Virgin is the centerpiece of the Frari. The ‘Assumption’ was the bodily taking up of Mary, the mother of Jesus, into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. Titian did his ethereal best in this depiction.
The setting for Titian’s masterpiece is dramatic, as seen in this photo.
Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin in the Frari
In this detailed photo, you can see God welcoming Mary into the Heavenly realm, with assistance from cherubs and with an adoring crowd looking on.
Also by Titian, we find the Pesaro Madonna (aka Madonna di Ca' Pesaro). The painting was commissioned by Jacopo Pesaro, who was the Bishop of Cyprus, as well as the commander of the Papal fleet.
Here’s the deal with commissioned paintings of that time: the artist was obligated to work the patron into the art work.
In this particular painting, Titian shows patron Jacopo kneeling to the left in a devotional pose. Saint Peter in blue is presenting Jacopo to Mary and the baby Jesus…note Peter’s ‘Keys to the Kingdom’ lying on the steps, tethered to Saint Peter.
Where does one find a divine face for the Virgin Mary? Titian actually used his wife as the model in this painting.
The five people kneeling at the bottom right below saint Francis of Assisi? Those are the Pesaro family members.
Giovanni Bellini’s Triptych
I have to say that Bellini is one of my favorite Italian artists. Besides his prosecco and peach bar-tending prowess, I just love the fine detail of his works. Below you see one of his finest, painted in 1488. This is Madonna and Child with Ss. Nicholas of Bari, Peter, Mark and Benedict, which is located in the Sacristy.
It’s a shame that the two angels did not get billing, too. They are very energetically playing their little hearts out on a mandolin and a flute.
Note the three-dimensionality of the figures in the painting. And the detail…one can almost read the Bible passage that Saint Benedict is holding. The alcove in which Mary and the baby Jesus are standing…it is actually a flat panel and not curved at all.
Bartolommeo Vivarini
Bartolommeo was also quite adept at the triptych, as we can see from two of his paintings that are housed within the Frari. Done in his unique colorful style, here is Madonna and Child with Saints.
And below is another of his colorful Frari paintings titled, ‘Saint Mark Enthroned’. I think you would agree that that’s a pretty fancy frame.
A Golden Angel
I have no idea who fashioned this golden angel hanging from the ceiling of the Sacristy, but we liked it so much that we used it as our Christmas card photo several years ago.
Unknown
I have no idea who produced this set of marble carvings, but I like it/them.
Craig on the Steps of the Frari
Yes, that’s brother-in-law Craig once again. This time striking a pose under Barolomeo Bon’s ‘Virgin and St Francis’, which adorns one of the secondary entrances to the Frari.
Now you’ve visited the Frari…and you know the actual full name for this church. The photos are nice, but they just don’t do justice to the works of art that you’ll find inside this Venetian church. The best way to experience the Frari is to be there in person. Until next time…
Ciao for now,
Steve
