Could you imagine that the Chiesa di Sant’Antonio da Padova wasn’t always here? In 1920 a small wooden church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua was built. It was made from repurposed military barracks by the residents of the new Città Giardino district in Lido di Venezia. The district had been growing since 1914.
With time the growing population of the district needed a larger place of worship. In June 1933 construction began on a new brick church. Giovanni Sicher was the engineer. Virgilio Vallot was the architect. The new church was built on the site of the old one.
The Chiesa di Sant’Antonio da Padova was consecrated on June 7 1936 by Patriarch Adeodato Piazza. At that time it was still part of the parish of Santa Maria Elisabetta. Work resumed after the Second World War. Side altars were added.
Cardinal Piazza established the parish of Sant’Antonio del Lido on October 13 1948. On October 30 1986 Patriarch Marco Cé consecrated the building again. This time it was with the dedication of the new high altar. Don Carlo Massari the parish priest had commissioned it.
The first stone for the construction of the patronato was laid on November 4 1951. Cardinal Carlo Agostini was present. Work finished in January 1956. Later the Excelsior parish cinema opened.
In 1974 the parish of Sant’Antonio had six thousand residents. These residents comprised two thousand families. The Chiesa di Sant’Antonio presents a neo-Romanesque structure. It features exposed bricks. Three semicircular apses project from the main building. A cylindrical dome rises above. A portico with three arches stands before the entrance.
Inside the church has a cruciform central plan. Two naves intersect each other. The dome and exposed trusses alternate with brick arches. Pierluigi Sopelsa created statues that adorn the main altar. They depict the Madonna Saint Joseph Saint Peter Saint Anthony and Saint Mark.
The white marble lectern is also his work. It shows a Madonna with arms outstretched toward the congregation. At the heads of the transepts are the altars of the Madonna of the Rosary. A wooden statue of the Madonna and Child by Angelo Franco decorates this altar.
The altar of Saint Anthony features a marble statue by Napoleone Martinuzzi. The bell tower houses three bells in D4. They perform the Distesa del campanone and Plenum. The Chiesa di Sant’Antonio stands as a testament to faith and community. Its history reflects the growth of Lido. Its art inspires reflection and devotion.