The full name of the church is Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and really is quite glorious. It was built in the early fifteenth century by the Franciscan Friars - ‘Frari’ comes from the Italian word frati meaning brothers. The campanile or tower is the highest in Venice after the one in Saint Mark’s. The exterior of this church with its plain brick and rounded arches is Gothic but inside there are works of art from subsequent centuries. The interior is vast and imposing. On the right as you go in through the main entrance is a monument to the great painter Titian and on the left an elegant marble pyramid which celebrates the life of the great sculptor Canova. Titian also has a striking painting above the altar showing the Virgin Mary ascending to heaven. Notice how the whole painting seems to draw your eye heavenwards. There’s also a beautiful carved wooden choir.
