Restored in 2024 with funding from James and Laurie Hacking.

The portal to the sacristy, originally connecting the church with the cloister and the monastery of San Sebastiano, was constructed between 1542 and 1544 at the expense of the Hieronymite friars. Situated between the Grimani Chapel and the Lando Chapel, it is directly beneath the Tomb of Pietro and Lorenzo Donati, and Paolo Veronese’s Two Angels, currently undergoing restoration by Save Venice. The Istrian stone portal is flanked by two pilaster strips decorated with polychrome roundels and features simplified capitals with characteristic volutes of the Ionic order, one of the three canonical orders of classical architecture. Interestingly, on the side facing the hallway leading to the sacristy, the portal bears an architrave with a Latin inscription that reads “BENEDI[C]TVS FR[A]T[RE]S,” probably a reused element from the previous church.

The 16th-century stone portal and its architectural elements exhibited advanced signs of decay due to prolonged exposure to rising damp, which left behind damaging salt deposits. The architraves were obscured by a disfiguring layer of grime and localized black crusts. Conservation efforts included desalinating the stone, consolidating areas of flaking, surface cleaning, and repairing or replacing deteriorated mortar.

Stone Portal
Ca. 1542-1544
Church of San Sebastiano

Salomon, Xavier, Davide Gasparotto, Gabriele Matino, and Melissa Conn. The Church of San Sebastiano in Venice: A Guide, Venice: Marsilio, 2024