Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
On Torcello, the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta—Santa Maria Assunta in Italian—is the former cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Torcello, and one of the Veneto’s most ancient churches. What makes it stand out is its place in the earliest artistic story of Venice: it contains the earliest mosaics in the area, and it reflects Late Paleochristian architecture rather than the later Gothic language you see elsewhere in the lagoon. An ancient inscription links its foundation to 639, when the exarch Isaac of Ravenna is said to have founded the church at a time when Torcello still rivalled the young settlement at Venice. Only part of that earliest fabric remains: the central apse wall and part of the baptistery façade survive from the older building. …
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