Journey to Venice’s hidden ceiling masterpiece

When visiting Venice, Italy, you will find no shortage of jaw-dropping churches. From the Baroque marvel of Santa Maria della Salute to the Renaissance gem Church of the Redeemer, the “City of Bridges” is home to some of the most impressive Catholic buildings in the world -- but beauty sometimes hides in unassuming places. 

From the outside, the Church of San Pantalon, built in the sestiere (neighborhood) of Dorsoduro in 1704, looks like an anonymous building. But step past its somber, partly unfinished facade and you will land in front of one of Venice’s best-kept secrets. Completed in 1704, the ceiling of the church hosts a 1500-square-foot painting depicting the Martyrdom of St. Pantaleon. 

The brainchild of Baroque-era painter Giovanni Antonio Fumiani, this ceiling painting is the second largest canvas painting in the world after the one decorating the ceiling painted by the Funaro Brothers in Maddaloni, Apulia. It was realized thanks to the technique of telero, which involved using oil colors on large canvases made of linen or hemp resting on wooden frameworks. 

The impressive canvas depicts scenes from the life of St. Pantaleon, a martyr considered one of the Holy Helpers, a group of saints known to intercede in times of suffering. What really steals the scene is the location of the canvas, right above the altar, forcing viewers to look up in admiration. 

Fiumani was a famous stage designer for theatrical productions and his sense of dramatic composition comes alive in this Baroque masterpiece, considered one of the most beautiful ceilings in the world. Thanks to the use of perspective, the painting appears larger than it is and follows a “looking-up” composition with different scenes of Pantaleon’s life told in ascending order. 

The first episode, starting on the right, tells the story of the judgment of Pantaleon. Then moving toward the presbytery, we find the second chapter of the story, when Pantaleon is notified with a death sentence. In the third part of the canvas Fiumani depicts the atrocities suffered by Pantaleon while his martyrdom is depicted in the next scene. Finally, at the center of the ceiling, the focal point of the massive canvas, Fiumani depicts the moment when the saint is welcomed by Christ in heaven. 

It took Fiumani 20 years to complete this painting, starting in 1680 and finishing months before the church was completed in 1704. Not every art expert loved this massive canvas, with British art historian John Ruskin criticizing the “excessive” dramaticism of Fiumani.

Yet, 400 years after its completion, many art connoisseurs flock to this unassuming church to gaze at Fiumani’s theatrical depiction of the Martyrdom of St. Pantaleon, as well as the other impressive artworks preserved in this under-the-radar landmark, such as the “Coronation of the Virgin” by Antonio Vivarini and Giovanni d’Alemagna and “St. Pantaleon healing a Boy” by Paolo Veronese. 

Piero de Fina, official guardian and tour guide of the church, says that most visitors come in specifically to look at the ceiling but are often impressed by the rest of the interiors, too. “Ninety percent of artworks inside the Church of San Pantalon was completed in the second half of the 17th century and the decorations have remained more or less unaltered,” de Fina says in an interview with Venice municipality. 

He added that the best time to gaze at one of Venice’s best-kept secrets is after sunset. “I recommend coming to look at the ceiling at night while standing on the church’s inner entrance,” he says. “That way one can best appreciate the use of chiaroscuro and the detailed finishes of Fiumani.”