The choir stalls in San Sebastiano are important decorative furnishings that attest to the loft as the location from which the Hieronymite monks of San Sebastiano worshipped. The 41 individual walnut wood stalls are organized in two rows along three walls of the barco, the Venetian term for a raised choir loft. Each stall has a hinged seat that folds up so that the cleric could either stand or sit, according to liturgical need. Many church furnishings were sold in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, and this rare set of choir seats is one of only a dozen remaining examples in Venice.

Conservator Paolo Roma and his team from MAUVE worked for several months to meticulously remove surface dirt and the darkened varnish that had been applied in the 19th century, revealing the rich natural wood color and beautiful painted arabesque decoration. Scientific analysis of the painted decoration confirms that the pigments used on the wooden stalls are consistent with pigments that Paolo Veronese and his workshop used on other decorations in the church, including the wooden ceiling and organ loft.  Archival research uncovered further documentation that Veronese and his workshop were paid for painting and decorating the choir seats in 1560.

Once the transformative cleaning phase was completed, conservators carefully detached the stalls from the walls to work on the back, fix any issues with the structural integrity, and perform additional disinfestation treatments for wood-boring insects. Work was completed in early fall 2020.

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