The
Theatines arrived in
Venice in 1527 after the
Sack of Rome. The church dedicated to Saint
Nicholas of Tolentino was begun in 1590 by
Vincenzo Scamozzi. The relationship between Scamozzi and his patrons was stormy, and the church was finally completed only in 1714. It is a large church with a huge freestanding
Corinthian portico, the only one in Venice, designed by
Andrea Tirali. The Tolentini is a parish church of the Vicariate of San Polo-Santa Croce-Dorsoduro. The church contains the tomb of Doge
Giovanni I Corner,
Francesco Corner,
Giovanni II Corner, and
Paolo Renier. The baroque organ was constructed by Pietro Nacchini in 1754. Annexed to the church was the monastery, now site of the architecture university of Ca’ Foscari. ==Works of art==