The Church of Santa Fosca is a small church rebuilt in the 12th century, with a Greek cross plan, surrounded by a perimeter portico with Byzantine columns and sculpted capitals and a circular roof made of wood.
Rebuilt in the 12th century from an ancient martyrion to house the remains of Saints Fosca and Maura, martyrs of the 3rd century, whose relics were transferred to the island of Torcello from Libya in 1011, and whose cult on the island had become very popular.
It has a Greek cross plan inscribed in an octagon, with a central circular roof made of wood and a triple apse, the central one being much larger.
It is surrounded by a perimeter portico of Byzantine marble columns reused from other buildings that support raised semicircular arches that is much later, dating from the 16th century, and which is connected to the atrium of Santa Maria Assunta.
The Torcello island is a quiet and sparsely populated island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon. It is considered the oldest continuously populated region of Venice. Torcello is worth a visit: A magnificent Byzantine-Italian cathedral dating back to 639 A.D., the Basilica Santa Maria Assunta, looms over the island with the Bell Tower and Church of Santa Fosca alongside.
Allow 45 minutes or an hour to visit the religious buildings around the central piazza, which is a short walk along a canal from the Actv stop. Tickets are sold individually for the Basilica, the Bell Tower, and the small Archaeological Museum, but the best deal is a combination ticket that includes all three plus the use of an audioguide in the Basilica (still called the "Cathedral" by many, and still in use for weddings and religious festivals).
Chiesa di Santa Fosca Pictures
