A church in a contemporary architectural style, built between 2012 and 2014. Its form is inspired by a ship: the cross serves as the mainmast, while the top of the bell tower forms the bow, crowned by a figure of the Virgin holding the sceptre of the Captain of the Sea. The church rests on eight pillars and four corner supports symbolising the twelve Apostles. The passage between the church and the Garden of Eden is accompanied by the archangels, represented by the three bells in the bell tower. The structure is made of concrete masonry and metal elements.

The Chapel of Santa Croce was built between 1959 and 1960 within Marina di Santa Croce, a tourist resort founded by engineer Marco Aurelio Pasti in a large Mediterranean pine forest. Probably constructed together with the bungalow village, the small building recalls the form of traditional Venetian casoni: it consists of two walls set at right angles and a thatched roof. The slightly raised sanctuary is inside the chapel, while worshippers can gather in the surrounding pine forest.

Via Daniele Manin

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Jesolo Lido is one of the area’s most significant post-war religious buildings, conceived in response to the growth of the resident population and the increasing summer tourist flow. Designed by architect Ernesto Damiani, construction continued for several years, beginning in 1950 and culminating in its opening for worship, although still unfinished, in the spring of 1951. The chaplaincy was officially established on 9 March 1954, while the parish was erected on 1 May 1956. The building has a restrained yet solemn architectural language. The plastered gabled façade is preceded by a five-arched portico that gives rhythm and depth to the elevation; the wider central arch forms the main entrance axis. Three large arches articulate the upper part of the façade and contain three niches, also differentiated in size to emphasise the central axis. The single-nave interior, covered by a flat ceiling, is distinguished by five chapels on each side, of which the central chapel is visibly larger and more articulated than the others, creating a further spatial hierarchy. The sanctuary, contained within a semicircular apse also covered by a flat ceiling, opens onto the rear wall and provides a scenic conclusion to the perspective of the nave. The overall layout of the church follows functional principles while retaining elements of monumentality, expressed through the modulation of volumes and the architectural articulation of the interior and exterior spaces.

The Church of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice, built in the 1950s, stands alone on a high podium. Its rectangular façade recalls a modern triumphal arch flanked by two side wings and features the inscription "Ave Maria" and two decorative reliefs. The central niche contains the entrance portal and a bronze relief of the Virgin. The interior has a single nave and a flat ceiling; a three-sided polygonal sanctuary with a flat ceiling opens on the rear wall.

Piazza Trieste 10

The Church of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice, designed by engineer Corrado Facco, stands in an isolated position on a high podium, asserting itself within the urban landscape through its restrained and monumental architecture. The foundation stone was laid on 1 July 1950 at the request of Patriarch Carlo Agostini, marking the first step towards the construction of a building that, only a few years later, would assume a central role in the religious life of Lido di Jesolo. The church was established as an autonomous chaplaincy in March 1954 and became a parish church on 21 November of the same year. Work continued until 1959, when the crypt and main worship hall were completed. The church was consecrated on 20 November that year by Patriarch Giovanni Urbani. Architecturally, the church has a rectangular façade inspired by the form of a modern triumphal arch and flanked by two side wings. At the centre, a large niche contains the entrance portal and a bronze relief depicting the Virgin Mary, surmounted by the inscription “Ave Maria” and two decorative relief panels. The interior follows a single-nave plan, covered by a flat ceiling that emphasises its linearity and compositional simplicity. The sanctuary opens on the rear wall and also has a flat ceiling; its three-sided polygonal structure gives depth and liturgical prominence to the altar area.

Viale Santa Margherita/Levante beach

https://www.caorle.eu/it/scopri/le-10-attrazioni-top-di-caorle/il-santuario-della-madonna-dell-angelo

The Sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Angelo, now one of Caorle’s principal landmarks, stands at the eastern end of the historic centre on a promontory extending into the Adriatic Sea, at the transition between the rocky shoreline and Levante beach. Its origins are linked to the oldest religious tradition of the Caorle community. According to historical sources, the first place of worship was built between the sixth and seventh centuries by refugees from Concordia and probably took the form of a small three-nave basilica with timber structures, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel. During the Middle Ages, the church was rebuilt in more stable and monumental forms while retaining its basilican layout, and was solemnly consecrated on 7 January 1523 by Bishop Daniele De Rossi. Marine erosion later undermined part of its stability, leading to a radical reconstruction in 1751 that gave the building the architectural form preserved today: a gabled façade preceded by a portico with a curved crown supported by two columns, and a single-nave plan with a sail vault, flat-ended side chapels and a square sanctuary. The current appearance also reflects later restoration and decorative work, including the complete restoration of 1948 and the new interior decoration carried out in the 1960s. The dedication to the Virgin Mary is supported by a devotional tradition that remains alive today. According to the hagiographic account, fishermen found at sea a wooden statue of the Virgin and Child resting on a marble base and inexplicably floating. Miraculously carried by children to the Cathedral and later found again at the small church by the sea, the statue led to the new dedication to the Madonna dell’Angelo. The sanctuary, of strong devotional as well as architectural significance, remains a pilgrimage destination and the focal point of the procession held in her honour every five years, providing an emblematic example of continuity between popular devotion, architectural transformation and community identity.

The sacred building is constructed entirely of exposed brick and has a double-pitched gabled roof. The façade is surmounted by a bell gable, a typical feature of smaller ecclesiastical architecture. An image of Our Lady of Fatima, the object of particular devotion, is placed on the high altar. The church was consecrated for worship in 1943.

Piazza Santissima Trinità, corner of Via Morosini

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Treporti stands at the heart of the village and is a significant example of sacred architecture developed over five centuries. The present building has a Latin-cross plan with three naves separated by square pillars supporting round arches. The timber roofs have exposed trusses, following a building tradition widespread in the lagoon area. Built entirely of exposed brick, the façade has a stepped profile reflecting the internal division into naves. It is enriched with marble decoration and features a large central arch containing a rose window, with an architraved portal and lunette below. The side naves are articulated by a series of small hanging arches beneath the eaves, while the central nave is crowned by stone pinnacles and a cross. The volume of the transept is clearly visible on the side of the building and corresponds to the former seventeenth-century worship hall, distinguished by a red-plastered gabled façade. The square sanctuary, covered by a barrel vault, ends in a semicircular apse. Its present form dates from the reconstruction carried out in 1864 as part of a wider liturgical reorganisation. The history of the building is complex and layered. Its origins date to 1517, when construction of the church was ordered in the will of Pietro De Stefani, drawn up by Giacomo Grasolani, parish priest of Sant’Aponal in Venice. The parish was established between 1620 and 1629. A first enlargement took place between 1666 and 1684, followed by another intervention in 1763. In 1864 the sanctuary was rebuilt and enlarged, while in 1913 the church underwent a radical renovation that resulted in the adoption of the Latin-cross plan. During this phase, the transept was created by incorporating the worship hall of the seventeenth-century building. A new bell tower was erected in 1932 beside the existing seventeenth-century one. A further extension was completed in 1956 with the addition of the two side naves and restoration of the façade. In 1962 the floor was replaced, the choir restored and the columns clad in marble.

A single long, narrow paved road connects the coast with Lio Piccolo. Here, around ten houses grouped around a small unpaved square form the heart of the village, where the small Church of Santa Maria della Neve, its bell tower and Palazzo Boldù stand out.

Via Fausta

The church, whose construction began in 1744 and was completed in 1751, is now a layered architectural complex resulting from a long series of interventions and transformations that defined its present stylistic and spatial configuration. The original eighteenth-century arrangement, attributable to a simplified late-Baroque language, was partly redefined over time, with significant restorations documented as early as the end of the nineteenth century, between 1890 and 1900. The first major structural enlargement took place in the first decade of the twentieth century, when the bell tower was erected in 1906 beside the church and crowned by a spire that emphasises its verticality. Further alterations were made between 1915 and 1916, when the church was enlarged through work involving both the worship hall and the sanctuary, with a substantial redefinition of the apse area. The present façade was built during the same period and is the most emblematic element of the stylistic transformation that occurred in the early twentieth century. Inspired by an eclectic language combining Neoclassical and Art Nouveau motifs, the façade is divided into three vertical sections by pilasters resting on a high continuous base. The upper part ends in a triangular pediment with a projecting cornice and a circular rose window at its centre. The entrance portal, framed by two detached columns and surmounted by a broken pediment, is enriched by a bas-relief depicting the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, installed during the work carried out in 1916. This sculptural arrangement is itself framed by two pilasters and a second pediment, decorative elements echoed in the side sections of the façade, where they symmetrically frame two arched windows. The church underwent further restoration and conservation work between 1985 and 1988, followed in 2012 by work to preserve the external and internal masonry and secure the roof.

Piazza Matteotti no. 9

The Church of San Giovanni Battista in Jesolo is a significant example of twentieth-century sacred architecture, although its history reaches back to the Middle Ages. Between 1102 and 1118, a religious building commissioned by Doge Ordelaffo Falier already stood here. It was followed in 1495 by a new church promoted by the Soranzo family at the time the parish was established. Probably built with reused materials from the ruins of the ancient cathedral, this church underwent successive transformations and reconsecrations, including in 1737, when a third church was blessed by Bishop Diedo. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the growing number of worshippers created the need for a larger building and led to construction of the present church to a design by engineer Paoletti. Work began in 1910 but was interrupted by the First World War, which severely affected the Jesolo area, and resumed only in 1920. The church was completed in 1927 and consecrated in 1932 by Patriarch La Fontaine. The building has a basilican plan with three naves, a transept and a timber-truss roof, and presents a solemn, austere architectural composition with solid-brick walls laid in lime mortar. The Neo-Romanesque gabled façade is articulated by a central portal surmounted by a decorated lunette and a round arch, with a large rose window above and two large windows corresponding to the side naves. Inside, the central nave is separated from the side naves by a colonnade with capitals supporting impost blocks and round arches, recalling the compositional language of the Romanesque tradition. The sanctuary area was renovated in 1966 to accommodate the liturgical changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council, while in 1930 the apse was decorated by painter Guido Pini with a scene of the Baptism of Christ. On the right-hand side stands the tall, isolated square bell tower, recalling the medieval tower lost during the war. Finally, between 2012 and 2014 the building underwent restoration and extraordinary maintenance directed by engineer Antonio Pasian, continuing the care and enhancement of a heritage asset that, although created to meet liturgical and community needs, now stands as an important historical and artistic document of the area.

Via dell’Angelo

The Parish Church of Saints Liberale and Mauro, designed by architect Vinicio Lazzari and built in 1968 in response to new post-conciliar pastoral requirements, is a significant example of sacred architecture from the second half of the twentieth century. Preceded by a flight of steps, the building has a façade arranged in two bands: the lower band contains the main entrance, while the upper band corresponds to the volume of the nave and is distinguished by broad plastered surfaces, asymmetrical roof slopes and narrow vertical windows that emphasise the dynamic movement of the façade. The interior follows a single-nave plan preceded by a lowered entrance hall, with diverging side walls leading towards two chapels near the sanctuary. The opposing roof slopes and exposed reinforced-concrete beams define a simple, bright space consistent with the liturgical principles introduced by the Second Vatican Council. The sanctuary, set against the straight rear wall, plays a central role in the spatial arrangement and emphasises the communal character of the assembly hall. Established as an autonomous chaplaincy in 1964 and made a parish in 1966, the building is distinguished by its ability to combine renewed liturgical requirements with a modern architectural language, confirming its importance within Lazzari’s religious work in the Veneto region.

The Oratory of Christ the King, built between 1960 and 1965 in the “Ai Salsi” locality, is a small place of worship with a simple plan, detached on all four sides and characterised by the essential architecture typical of subsidiary religious buildings. The gabled façade is crowned by a concrete frame outlining the form of a cross and contains two square openings that lighten its formal composition, creating a balance between function and religious symbolism. The single-nave interior is covered by a double-pitched timber structure with exposed trusses, emphasising the linear form of the hall and its intimate character. The rectangular sanctuary, ending at a straight rear wall, is clearly defined as the principal liturgical space in keeping with the overall restraint of the building. Despite its simplicity, the oratory is a significant example of local religious architecture from the second half of the twentieth century, in which formal renewal is combined with the needs of worship and community life.

The Oratory of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus is located at Viale Belgio 37, in the Pineta area of Lido di Jesolo (VE). It is a distinctive octagonal building surrounded by the greenery of the pine forest, open to the public and affiliated with the parish of Cortellazzo.

A votive shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the municipality of Jesolo.

Via Pordelio, 308, 30013 Cavallino-Treporti VE

The Capitello al Barbarossa, located in the municipality of Cavallino-Treporti in the province of Venice, is a site of historical and devotional interest as well as a recognisable landmark in the coastal landscape. Its location also makes it a well-known stop along local hiking and cycling routes.

The Church of Santa Maria delle Dune is located in Duna Verde, a district of Caorle, and belongs to the Parish of the Glorious Cross in the Patriarchate of Venice. Consecrated in 1984, it was built to serve the seaside resort and is used mainly during the summer season. Its origins are linked to a small devotional shrine: the statue of the Virgin and Child, now kept inside the church, was originally placed on the bow of a boat facing the sea.

The Church of Santa Maria Elisabetta is located in the village of Brian. A first place of worship was built in 1678 at the request of Bishop Francesco Antonio Boscaroli and was subsequently restored in 1732-1733 and again in 1890. In 1963 the church was elevated to parish status, and between 1964 and 1965 the present building was constructed on the opposite bank of the Largon Canal.

The church has a gabled façade preceded by a portico and a single-nave interior with a timber-truss roof. The polygonal sanctuary is introduced by a broad semicircular arch.

The Church of San Benedetto is located in the Lido Altanea area, surrounded by greenery and integrated into the resort’s network of pedestrian routes and holiday villages. The building is distinguished by its modern shell-shaped architecture and characteristic bell tower. The church is open to the public and regularly hosts religious services, with times that may vary according to the tourist season.

The Church of Santa Margherita originated in 1962 with the establishment of a chaplaincy, initially housed in a temporary structure. The present building, dedicated to the Immaculate Virgin and serving as the parish church, was constructed in 1995 to a design by architect Guido Impallomeni.

The church has a modern architectural design, with a façade distinguished by a large glazed portico and a trapezoidal pediment. The single-nave interior has a trapezoidal plan and walls converging towards the sanctuary, while the single-pitch roof is supported by metal beams.

Caorle Cathedral, formerly the cathedral of the diocese until its suppression in 1819, was built in 1038 over an earlier early-Christian basilica dating from the late sixth or early seventh century. It belongs to the period of greatest development of medieval Caorle and reflects the city’s former importance as an episcopal seat. The original complex was more extensive than it is today: the Cathedral was connected to the cylindrical bell tower and the former Church of the Graces by a porticoed atrium, traces of which survive on the façade. The Church of the Graces was demolished in 1818; its outline, identified during work in the square in 1999, is marked by different paving.
The building has a three-nave basilican plan of early-Christian derivation, with the entrance facing west and the sanctuary oriented east. Alternating columns and cruciform piers divide the naves, and the church ends in three apses, only the central one projecting externally. The simple, austere façade preserves important medieval elements, including two eleventh-century marble bas-reliefs beside the main portal, traditionally identified as Saint Agathonicus and Saint William of Toulouse, the latter also interpreted by recent studies as Saint Theodore of Amasea. A large rose window added during twentieth-century restoration opens above the entrance, while circular windows illuminate the side naves. The exterior of the southern nave is distinguished by an elegant band of interlaced arches.
The interior contains works and objects documenting the cathedral’s long history. These include the Pala d’Oro in the central apse, a large fifteenth-century wooden crucifix suspended above the high altar, and icons from the medieval iconostasis, now in the parish museum and attributed to the school of Paolo Veneziano. The iconostasis originally separated the sanctuary from the nave and contained fifteen images of apostles, evangelists and saints; it was dismantled in the seventeenth century when the sanctuary was reorganised. The Cathedral also houses statues, paintings and furnishings from churches and oratories that have disappeared from the historic centre.

The Oratory of Our Lady of Pompeii was built in central Caorle in 1878. Severely damaged by bombing during the Second World War, it was rebuilt in 1954 to a design by engineer Carlo Tosoni.

The building has a gabled façade with a central rose window and a single-nave interior featuring a timber roof with exposed trusses. The slightly raised sanctuary is framed by a broad round arch.

The small Church of San Benedetto is located within Camping Marelago in Lido Altanea, Caorle, overlooking an artificial lake. The building is distinguished by its modern shell-inspired form and small bell tower. Open to both campsite guests and outside visitors, it regularly hosts Sunday Mass.

The Church of Santo Stefano in Bibione, built in 1999, stands within a private area devoted to pastoral hospitality near the spa district. The building uses a contemporary architectural language and is inspired by the Church of God the Merciful Father in Rome, designed for the Jubilee of 2000. It forms part of Bibione’s tourist setting as a place of worship and welcome, characterised by simple contemporary forms.

The Church of Santa Maria Assunta is Bibione’s main parish church and one of the resort’s principal religious landmarks. Located in Via Antares, it welcomes the resident community throughout the year and the many visitors to the seaside resort, especially during the summer months. The parish carries out extensive pastoral work and also organises services in several languages, reflecting Bibione’s international character. The complex also includes a chapel dedicated to the Shroud, which houses a copy of the famous cloth. For up-to-date information on services, activities and initiatives, please consult the official website of the Parish of Santa Maria Assunta.

The Chapel of the Queen of Peace is located in Bibione, in the Lido dei Pini area. The building was constructed in 1997 to mark the centenary of Angelo Pasotto’s birth and is a small place of worship within the seaside resort. Today the chapel is one of the area’s religious landmarks and is connected with the parish community of Bibione.

Lignano Riviera was established in the 1950s as part of the urban development of the Lignano peninsula, based on a design by architect Luigi Piccinato. The settlement was conceived as a neighbourhood surrounded by greenery, organised into large residential units separated by avenues, pedestrian paths and cul-de-sacs. Compared with the better-known spiral layout of Lignano Pineta, Piccinato’s design placed greater emphasis on integration with the landscape and a more balanced distribution of built areas and green spaces. In subsequent years, the area gained important tourist facilities, including the spa complex inaugurated in 1963, the Marina Uno tourist harbour and the Kursaal, which opened in 1968.

Within this setting stands the Church of Saints Ermacora and Fortunato, built mainly to serve the tourist population of Lignano Riviera. Inaugurated in 2003 and designed by engineer Giancarlo Tavano and architect Adriana Paolini, the church is dedicated to the patron saints of Friuli Venezia Giulia and blends harmoniously into the surrounding pine forest. The building has a polygonal plan and large sliding glass walls that can be opened, allowing worshippers to take part in services from the outdoor green space. A particularly distinctive feature is the timber roof, conceived as a large tent, while a glazed pyramid above the altar illuminates the sanctuary. Inside are several devotional statues and a painting of Saints Ermacora and Fortunato created in 1998 by painter Pietro Fantini.

Lignano Pineta was founded in 1953 from a design by Udine architect Marcello D’Olivo, who conceived the new settlement in its characteristic spiral form. Inspired by the principles of organic architecture and influenced by the theories of Le Corbusier, the urban plan aimed to integrate building development with the pine-forest landscape. Existing trees were surveyed and treated as an integral part of the design. The spiral quickly became one of Lignano’s most recognisable symbols and, from 1959, was also incorporated into the coat of arms of the new municipality.

The Church of Christ the Redeemer stands opposite Piazza Rosa dei Venti, the focal point of the spiral. The land was donated in 1956 by Società Pineta, and the design was entrusted to architect Aldo Bernardis, who was also responsible for other landmark buildings in Lignano. The foundation stone was laid in 1958, while the crypt, completed in 1962, was immediately used for religious services and later also for services intended for German-speaking and Protestant visitors. Completed in 1971, the church is characterised by a strong vertical emphasis, accentuated by the broad staircase and gabled roof, whose form recalls the traditional fishermen’s casoni. On the left stands the bell tower, an essential reinforced-concrete structure supporting the bells.

The Church of Santa Maria del Mare, now located in the large green area between Lignano Sabbiadoro and Lignano Pineta, originally stood at Bevazzana on the left bank of the Tagliamento. Probably built between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries over an even older place of worship, it was an important religious landmark for local residents and travellers using the river route between the hinterland and the Adriatic. From the late fifteenth century into the modern period, the church was also associated with the Augustinian Hermits and underwent several restorations, mainly to counter damage caused by flooding of the Tagliamento.

The river’s progressive advance and the risk of collapse led to the church being dismantled and rebuilt in Lignano between 1965 and 1966. The work, intended above all to protect the valuable fresco cycle in the apse, also introduced changes designed to recover a presumed medieval appearance. The building nevertheless retains the typical features of small Friulian votive churches: a rectangular hall, exposed timber-truss roof, square cross-vaulted apse, terracotta flooring and exposed-brick walls. The apse frescoes and medieval architectural elements recovered during the relocation make Santa Maria del Mare one of the most important historical and artistic monuments in the Lignano area.

The Church of San Zaccaria, also known as the Church of the Purity of Mary, is located in the village of Pineda and for centuries was one of the few religious landmarks for the farming and fishing communities of the coast and lagoon. The oratory was commissioned around the middle of the sixteenth century by Zaccaria Vendramin, Procurator of Saint Mark and governor of the Terra della Tisana, and displays the typical features of small Friulian votive churches: a gabled façade with a bell gable, a rectangular hall with exposed timber beams, and a smaller sanctuary. In the following centuries, the church experienced long periods of difficulty and abandonment, mainly because of the unhealthy conditions in the area, malaria and poor accessibility, which made it difficult to ensure the permanent presence of a priest.

In 1984 the building underwent major restoration work involving the roof, floor and masonry structures. On that occasion, a bronze bas-relief by the artist Gino Afro was placed above the entrance, depicting Zaccaria Vendramin offering a model of the church to the Virgin and Child. The interior retains a simple and intimate arrangement, with a painted wooden altar housing the Dressed Madonna and Child, flanked by statues of Saint Anthony and Saint Rita and panels of the Stations of the Cross. Today the small church, surrounded by greenery and also accessible via the cycle path along the embankment, is an important testimony to the religious and rural history of the lagoon area.

The bell tower of Caorle Cathedral, dating from the eleventh century, is one of the city’s most recognisable symbols and one of the most unusual examples of medieval architecture in the Upper Adriatic. About 44 metres high, it has a rare cylindrical plan and is built mainly of brick, with stone elements at the base. Decorative cornices divide the tower into superimposed levels, articulated by single-light windows, double-light windows and blind openings. The central loggia has a regular sequence of openings supported by small columns, while a terracotta-clad conical spire topped by a cross crowns the structure.

The tower is closely linked to the history of the adjacent Cathedral of Santo Stefano and the early-medieval religious complex formerly occupying the site. Elements at the base have led to suggestions that an earlier watchtower or defensive structure may have existed, although this has not been conclusively established. Over the centuries the tower underwent various alterations and was fitted with a clock that regulated community life. Its bells served both religious functions and as a reference signal for fishermen and agricultural workers during fog and adverse weather.

By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the tower showed clear deterioration. Major restoration begun in 1912 gradually recovered its earlier appearance by removing later additions and reopening ancient apertures. The bronze bells were requisitioned during the First World War and later replaced. Today, with its slight lean towards the south-east, the tower continues to dominate Caorle’s historic skyline.

The Basilica of Sant’Eufemia, in the heart of Grado’s historic centre, is the city’s principal religious building and one of the most important examples of early-Christian architecture in the Upper Adriatic. The present basilica was consecrated in the sixth century during the episcopate of Elias and stands over earlier places of worship. Its three-nave interior preserves a valuable mosaic floor with geometric motifs and votive inscriptions, while the apse contains the episcopal chair and early-medieval stone elements. Beside the basilica stand the early-Christian baptistery and the characteristic bell tower, topped by a weather-vane statue of the Archangel Michael known as the “Anzolo”. The complex reflects Grado’s central role in the religious history of the northern Adriatic and its relationships with Aquileia and the Byzantine world.

Barbana Island lies in the Grado Lagoon a few kilometres from the town and is one of the oldest and most evocative religious sites in the Upper Adriatic. According to tradition, the sanctuary originated in AD 582, when a violent storm struck Grado and an image of the Virgin was found on the island near the huts of hermits. Patriarch Elias of Grado then had a first church built there in gratitude for the town’s deliverance, beginning a Marian devotion that continued through the centuries.

The present Neo-Romanesque sanctuary, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, was built between 1911 and 1924 and contains a wooden statue of the Madonna and numerous ex-votos. Barbana is home to a Franciscan religious community and remains a popular pilgrimage destination. The Perdòn di Barbana, documented since 1237 and celebrated on the first Sunday of July, is a procession of boats from Grado across the lagoon to the sanctuary, renewing an ancient vow made during an epidemic.

The island retains a quiet atmosphere closely connected with its spiritual role. In addition to the sanctuary, it contains the bell tower, Chapel of the Apparition and buildings for the religious community and pilgrims. Barbana is accessible only by water, by scheduled motor vessel from Grado or private boat, and brings together lagoon landscape, history and religious tradition.