About San Giuliano Martire (Saint Julian Martyr) Church in Rimini, Italy:
San Giuliano Martire Church (Chiesa di San Giuliano Martire) is a historic Roman Catholic parish dedicated to Saint Julian of Antioch. The church’s roots go back to the 9th century, when Benedictine monks built an abbey dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul on the site of an ancient pagan temple along the Via Emilia. By the 13th century, it was rededicated to San Giuliano Martire (Saint Julian the Martyr), a 3rd-century saint from Cilicia (or Istria according to local tradition) and patron of boatmen and fishermen. San Giuliano Martire was built during 1553–1575 adjacent to a Benedictine order abbey. The present structure was built at the site of a 9th-century church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul (Santi Apostoli Pietro e Paolo).
A famous local legend tells how a marble sarcophagus containing the saint’s incorrupt body miraculously washed ashore near Rimini (in the area later called Sacramora) around the 10th century under Otto the Great. The relics were transferred to the abbey and remain there today. The current Renaissance-style structure was built between 1553 and 1575 (with some sources noting work from around 1515), replacing the earlier medieval Romanesque building. The Benedictine monastery was suppressed in 1797 during the Napoleonic era, after which the church became a parish. Minor 17th- and 18th-century additions refined the interior.
Despite its rather plain exterior, The San Giuliano Martire Church is an artistic gem, especially for Venetian and local Riminese influences.
The main altarpiece, Il Martirio di San Giuliano (The Martyrdom of Saint Julian) by the Venetian master Paolo Caliari, known as Veronese (1528-1588), is a dynamic Venetian masterpiece showing the saint thrown into the sea in a sack filled with snakes; the upper part depicts the Madonna and Child with Saints Peter and Paul in glory. It is one of the last major works by (1528–1588), and is widely regarded as one of his most significant late paintings despite some workshop assistance. Approximately 10.8 feet high by 6.6 feet wide ( 330 cm high × 200 cm wide, it is ideally suited to the church’s luminous barrel-vaulted interior.
The third chapel on the left hosts a Polyptych by Bittino da Faenza (1409), with 14 scenes from the saint’s life and the arrival of his sarcophagus in Rimini—blending Riminese 14th-century style with early Venetian Gothic.
In the right-side chapel dedicated to the Annunciation you will find the Annunciation altarpiece: L’Annunciazione by Giovanni Andrea Sirani (c. 1650 or 1652), It is paired with a wooden statue of St. Catherine of Siena from 1612.
Other notable works Include: “Miracle of San Mauro: by Francesco Mancini (18th century); “Primacy of St. Peter (Consegna delle chiavi)” by Pietro Ricchi (1649), “Crucifixion” (16th-century Romagnol school).
The ceiling fresco “Gloria di San Giuliano” is by Francesco Brici.
There are various other 16th–18th-century paintings in the side chapels.
The body of San Giuliano rests in an urn under the main altar. The original 3rd–4th-century Roman sarcophagus (in Istrian stone) that brought the relics is displayed at the base of the apse. The saint’s feast is celebrated on June 22.
This church beautifully combines faith, art, and local maritime history. Its Veronese painting alone makes it a highlight for art lovers visiting Rimini. If you’re interested in the Annunciation connection (via Sirani’s painting), specific mass times, photos, or how it relates to other Rimini churches, let me know for more details!
Traveling to San Giuliano Martire Church in Rimini, Italy:
San Giuliano Martire Church is located in the picturesque Borgo San Giuliano (the old fishermen’s quarter, famous for its colorful murals and Fellini connections). It stands near the Tiberius Bridge. Archaeological remains of the ancient cloister and a necropolis are visible nearby (e.g., in the adjacent Cinema Tiberio area).
Address: Via S. Giuliano, 16, 47921 Rimini RN, Italy
Phone: +39 0541 25761