About the Church of San Zaccaria in Venice, Italy:
The Church of San Zaccaria in Venice is a 15th-century former monastic church dedicated to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. The church is a prominent building offering a glimpse into Venetian Renaissance architecture and art.
It features tall Gothic windows and a crypt dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries along with a significant collection of Venetian art, including works by Giovanni Bellini, Tintoretto, and Tiepolo.
As you would expect from the name, it contains the tomb of Saint Zaccaria.
The tomb of Saint Zaccariah:
The church’s most famous painting is the San Zaccaria altarpiece, a masterpiece by Giovanni Bellini. is depicted as a priest in the Temple who receives a divine vision from the angel Gabriel, foretelling the birth of his son John.
In Luke 1:20, Zechariah is silenced for doubting the angel Gabriel’s prophecy that his wife Elizabeth would conceive and bear a son in her old age. I suppose we can’t blame him for being a “doubting Thomas”…..perhaps many of us would have the same reaction. The angel warns Zechariah that he will be unable to speak until the prophecy is fulfilled. Zechariah’s silence lasts until the birth of his son, John the Baptist, after which he proclaims that his son will be named John, despite that name being in their family history (Luke 1:59-63).
As you might expect from the name of the church, the crypt contains the tomb of Saint Zechariah.
We celebrate the Feast of Saint Zachariah on November 5.
The Tomb of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria:
The church also contains the tomb of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, also called by the titles Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic. He was a theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria.
We celebrate the Feast of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria on June 2.
Among other chapels in the Church of San Zaccaria are The Chapel of San Tarasio that was once the presbytery and apse of the old nun’s church, featuring tile floors from the 9th and 12th centuries as well as The Golden Chapel, featuring a beautiful 12th-century mosaic and polyptychs.
Confused about the name Zachariah? Well, you’re not alone!
The most frequently occurring personal name in the Bible is Zechariah (also spelled Zachariah or in the New Testament as Zacharias). At least thirty kings, princes, priests, prophets, servants, sons, trumpet players, and gatekeepers claim this name, which means “Jehovah remembers.”
Even the Apostles got confused, so we should not be surprised to be confused ourselves. We find some confusion about the biblical Zechariahs given that the name over a thousand years and fifty-five separate verses. It appears that the Gospel of Matthew (who was both a disciple and an apostle) may have confused two Zechariahs. Chapter 23 mentions the ninth-century high-priestly martyr Zechariah but incorrectly assigns him a different father M Barachias, the father of the sixth-century. Whereas Matthew mixed up the two Zechariahs, the parallel account found in Luke 11:51 did not.
Traveling to The Church of San Zaccaria in Venice:
The Church of San Zaccaria is located in Campo San Zaccaria, a quiet square not far from the waterfront, just east of St. Mark’s Square.
Address: Campo S. Zaccaria, 4693, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy