TEMANZA, Tommaso

Temanza’s architectural projects are generally situated close to the Grand Canal, the preferred thoroughfare in Venice. Along this axis we find the church of Santa Maria Maddalena (called La Maddalena), work on which started in 1763 but was finished in 1789 after its architect’s death. It makes reference to the Antique with a clear quotation from the Pantheon. The circular plan, which in the interior of the building contains an inscribed hexagon, concedes a single exception to the regularity of the order in that the apse is a separate and eccentric space.

Temanza’s architectural projects are generally situated close to the Grand Canal, the preferred thoroughfare in Venice. Along this axis we find the church of Santa Maria Maddalena (called La Maddalena), work on which started in 1763 but was finished in 1789 after its architect’s death. It makes reference to the Antique with a clear quotation from the Pantheon. The circular plan, which in the interior of the building contains an inscribed hexagon, concedes a single exception to the regularity of the order in that the apse is a separate and eccentric space.

This drawing shows the front elevation of the church which was designed by Tommaso Temanza and built between 1763 and 1789.

Temanza’s design ability has to a large extent been pieced together from the evidence of drawings drafted at various stages for works which generally never got further than the drawing board.

This drawing shows the front elevation of a planned theatre on the Grand Canal. It was not realized.