The church of the elephant

 Sant’Antonin church in Venice was built in VII century, reconstructed a few times and finally closed in 1982. It was dedicated to Saint Anthony, whose emblem is a pig. A curious anecdote tells us that monks from Saint Anthony convent owned a number of pigs which used to wander around this area until a law was issued in 1409 to limit their incursions.
The body of Saint Saba was buried here: it had been stolen by Venetians in Constantinople, and given back by Pope Paul VI in 1965.
In 1817, Sant’Antonin church was the theatre for an unusual event: an elephant fled from an exhibit on Riva degli Schiavoni and spread panic in the sestiere, to be eventually caught here and later shot dead.

Address

Castello, Salizada Sant'Antonin, 30122 - Venezia

Phone

+39 041 72 41 044

Fax

+39 041 27 74 228

Transports

Water bus Line 1, 4.1, 4.2 | Arsenale