Canal Grande in Trieste

Tagged , ,

Canal Grande in Trieste, Italy

The Canal Grande is the heart of the Borgo Teresiano district, commissioned by the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. The neoclassical building at the end of the canal is a Catholic Church (Sant’Antonio Nuovo). [German]

Borgo Teresiano

While watching the small boats swaying in the Canal Grande, I think of the Austrian connection to this place. Maria Theresia had this canal and the surrounding district laid out according to plan. The new water basin should serve as a port for merchant ships. The name Borgo Teresiano is still reminiscent of the female Austrian monarch.

Palaces and Churches

The streets crossing at right angles testify to the planned action in Borgo Teresiano. The rules also include the height and structure of the houses of wealthy traders who settled here. A notable example of the palaces located here is the Palazzo Carciotti. A Napoleonic eagle still crowns its dome today. It is a small reminder of when Trieste was part of the Illyrian Provinces.

But you find religious buildings too. At the end of the canal, we see the neoclassical architecture of the Catholic Church of Sant’Antonio Nuovo. On the canal’s south bank, the blue domes of the Serbian Orthodox Saint Spyridon Church peak out from the row of palaces. The Greek-Orthodox Church of San Nicolò dei Greci stands next to the waterfront of the Adriatic Sea.

Sources / More info

  • Link Description of the Canal Grande on Wikipedia