The Church of San Simeone Piccolo is dedicated to perhaps the most obscure of all of Jesus's apostles, St. Simon, also known as Simon the Zealot. Some sources suggest that Simon may have been Jesus's cousin or even half-brother from Joseph's earlier marriage or even biological brother whom Mary had with Joseph, although the Catholic dogma rejects the latter theory. According to the Eastern Orthodox Church, it was during Simon's wedding that Christ turned water into wine. One fact that most sources do agree on is that Simon was martyred with a saw, which is why he is usually depicted with that instrument.
The Church of San Simeone Piccolo was built in the first half of the XVIII century on the site where once stood a small decrepit church dating back to the X century. The new edifice was constructed in the Neoclassical style by Giovanni Scalfarotto and was consecrated in the middle of XVIII century. Until 1807, when Napoleon took control of Venice for the second time and made it part of his Italian Kingdom, the church also had a little chapterhouse, that is, a separate building used for meetings by the college of canons.
The facade presents an elegant four-columned portico, inspired by the Roman pantheon. On the tympanum above the columns we see a bass-relief of the Martyrization of the Saints by Francesco Penso. The dome, which from certain angles seems larger than the walls themselves, was covered with copper, and in the process of oxidization became green.
Inside, the nave is circular. There are four unimposing altars with the most appealing of the altarpieces being the canvas hanging over the first altar on the right. It depicts St. Francis being resurrected by an angel and St. Cajetan. Of particular interest is the underground crypt, which is frescoed with scenes from the Old Testament and the Stations of the Cross. The crypt is formed by two corridors that cross at an octagonal space, in the center of which stands an altar. This fascinating ancient sepulcher contains tombs of the priests from the original church, though their identities have not been determined.
Although the Church of San Simeone is not a monumental work of architecture, it is famous for being the first orientation point on which our eyes fix as we come out of the station. And for someone coming to Venice for the first time, it surely is, thanks to its somewhat ponderous dome, an exotic sight.