Basilica of Santa Giustina

Fun Facts

• • A local Paduan idiom used to describe a person who is incredibly slow is 'te si longo come ła fabrica de Santa Giustina', referring to the century-long construction period of the church.
• • A mysterious spot called the 'Well of Martyrs' contains the remains of early Christians; legend says twelve miraculous candles lit up around it when the bones were discovered in 1269.
• • Beneath the high altar lies a sophisticated work of marble inlay by the Corbarelli family, using mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli, and coral to create intricate patterns.
• • Despite its grand interior, the facade remains unfinished and rough-hewn because the original plans for a marble covering were never completed due to lack of funds.
• • The 15th-century choir stalls are a triumph of woodwork, featuring 88 meticulously carved scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
• • The Sacello di San Prosdocimo is one of the oldest surviving structures in the Veneto region, dating back to the 6th century and retaining its original cross-shaped plan.
• • The basilica features eight domes, with the central one reaching a height of 70 metres and topped by a five-metre-tall copper statue of Saint Giustina.
• • The basilica houses the tomb of Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, who in 1678 became the first woman in history to receive a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
• • The basilica is ranked as the ninth largest Christian church in the world and the seventh largest in Italy, spanning a total length of nearly 119 metres.
• • The church was once part of one of the most powerful Benedictine monasteries in Europe before it was converted into a military hospital and barracks during the 19th century.
• • The high altar features a massive painting by Paolo Veronese titled 'The Martyrdom of Saint Giustina', which is considered one of his most complex and crowded masterpieces.
• • The relics of Saint Luke the Evangelist were brought here from Constantinople by a priest named Urio to save them from the iconoclastic fury of the East.