Piazza Eremitani

Piazza Eremitani in Padua is dominated by the church of the same name, the Church of the Augustinian Hermits, a building that has shaped the city's religious and cultural life since the 13th century. Originally conceived as a monastery church, the adjoining area to the north now houses the city museums, including the famous Scrovegni Chapel. The history of the site is closely tied to notable figures: Martin Luther stayed at the monastery on his journey to Rome in 1510. After the Napoleonic secularization, the complex was converted into a parish church. A heavy blow came with the Allied air raid in March 1944, which largely destroyed the building. Reconstruction between 1946 and 1950, using old bricks, gave the church a new appearance, though some of the historic fabric was preserved.

Architecturally, the church follows the type of mendicant order churches, with a broad, single-nave structure. The facade, completed in the mid-14th century, features five tall round-arched niches, two of which, on the sides, hold sarcophagi. Inside, the characteristic wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling stands out; it was faithfully rebuilt from a design dating to 1306. The horizontal alternation of tuff and brick layers visually lightens the space. Especially impressive are the 14th-century tombs of Jacopo and Ubertino da Carrara, which rank among the most magnificent of their kind in the Veneto.

The artistic heart of the church is the Ovetari Chapel, whose fresco cycle became famous above all through the work of the young Andrea Mantegna. Begun by several artists, the project was taken over by Mantegna, who completed scenes from the lives of the saints as well as the Assumption of the Virgin. The 1944 bombing destroyed most of the murals, but fragments were rescued and partly reconstructed. Two key works, including the Martyrdom of Saint Christopher, were transferred to canvas and can now be seen in museums, while at the original site a large-format photograph and inserted fragments recall the chapel's former splendor.