Restorations

The Baroque church of San Stae, overlooking the Grand Canal and designed by the swiss architect from Morcote, Domenico Rossi (1657-1737), was the first building to undergo a total restoration by the Swiss Pro Venezia Foundation, then reopened in 1979 (see the relevant entry on this same page of the site). The passage of time and the lack of adequate maintenance led our Foundation to consider the possibility of a further intervention, at least on the façade of the church, which showed clear signs of degradation. However, given the uncertainty about the actual state of the building and the feasibility of an intervention, the Foundation decided to take on the burden of a serious preliminary examination of these aspects, as well as a survey of the entire church, hitherto non-existent. The company commissioned with this task was thus able to carry out the investigations and monitoring of the façade in particular over the course of 2020, as well as implementing initial, urgent safety measures to secure not only the damaged parts of the roofing and the roof of the bell tower, but also of components of the decorations of the façade. These operations were carried out by restorers working on ropes, documented by an interesting RSI service (please refer to the "useful links" page of this site). The associated technical report revealed a significant state of degradation, especially -as regards the façade- highlighting extensive damage, such as the detachment of cornices, decorative elements, parts of statues, and covers; instability of architectural parts, plaster, and stone elements; and flaking of the stone, cracks, and erosion, as well as the presence of stains and micro- and macroflora. The restoration of the façade and various repairs to the roof, also highlighted by the technical report, were therefore considered essential.

Since the end of 2021, the entire façade has been properly restored, a project that was subsidised by the Italian State through what is known as the "Façade Bonus". The major work on the main part of the building was completed in the autumn of 2023, while the arch of the church gateway -which had structural problems- was completed in early 2024. The design and the management of the works were carried out by the architect Alvise Draghi, under the supervision of the Superintendence, supported by the architect Giulia Passante.

RSI documentary: Appesi a un filo per San Stae (08.07.2020)
https://www.Rsi.Ch/news/oltre-la-news/venezia-è-anche-un-po-nostra-13201704.Html