Mosaics! Inside Santa Maria e San Donato - Murano

The church's floor mosaics tell many stories to the faithful.  This represents the cosmology after the second coming

Thursday                                                                                                           October 7, 2021

Santa Maria e San Donato is worth a visit to see the most beautiful and unique floor, made from two types of mosaic patterns. The tessellatum mosaics are formed from little square marble tessarae designed as figures and symbols.  The sectile mosaics are little marble slabs cut into geometric features forming symbolic patterns.  The figures and patterns were meant to tell a story and to instruct the faithful.  The church, fortunately, provides an excellent guide in English that allows you to understand the meaning of all the designs.

The semi-domed ceiling in the apse is filled with glass mosaics of the Virgin Mary on a gold background.  It is somewhat reminiscent of the mosaics in the neighboring Santa Maria dell'Assunta on Torcello.

The colorful stone mosaic floor of the church dates from around 1140. It measures over 500 square meters and is made of porphyry, serpentine, and other precious stones. The images include falcons carrying a fox, a peacock, an eagle, griffins and crickets. It also includes geometric patterns that represent Christian themes.

The floor has undergone a number of conservation treatments sponsored by the non-profit organization Save Venice Inc. beginning in the 1970s. Most recently, emergency funds were allocated to help repair missing tesserae and mortar supports after the church was flooded by high tides in November and December 2019, submerging the mosaic floor in corrosive seawater several times over the course of weeks.

This mosaic cosmology, in front of the altar, represents the New Jeruselum, with Christ as the center circle.  The surrounding 4 circles are the Evangelists announcing His coming.

Here are the two types of floor mosaics - tessellatum (tiny pieces) and sectile (larger patterned slabs).

So many semi-precious stones in these patterns.  I could spend days.....

Shoe for size comparison - plus I just like this pair of Rothy's flats. (smile)

Crickets

An eagle carrying away a goat

Peacocks drinking from a fountain

The relics of San Donato are located in a marble sarcophagus at the altar. Behind the altar there are four rib bones, hanging from wires. The bones are more than 1 meter long. According to legend, these are bones of the dragon slain by St. Donatus in Greece. It is possible that these bones are from large extinct Pleistocene mammals. (Per Wikipedia, so it must be right >ha ha<)

Four large dragon rib bones here behind the altar, (see them toward the bottom?). As it's a holy place, we couldn't get back to see up close.

Beautiful lace from Burano decorating the altar