|
|
Isola di San Michele |
 San Michele – in relation to Venice (Pagnatti) |
 San Michele (Pagnatti) |
|
| When Napoleon invaded Venice, he decreed that bodies could no longer be buried within the Island’s boundaries due to the immense value of open space and health concerns. The Isola di San Michele was set aside specifically for the burial of all Venetians. | ||
|
Continuing to fulfill the same function today, the island attracts funeral processions and tourists that sail across the lagoon to where the island floats northwest of Venice’s Historic Core. Of course, the island is still confined to limited space. In an effort to perserve the cemetery’s importance as a sacred space, allowing all Venetians to be buried there, the land is recycled – bones are dug up after a set period of time and deposited in ossuraries. The island today supports thousands of graves and the San Michele church and monastery. |
Graves at San Michele
Church of San Michele |
