| Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Facade of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari with bell tower behind | |
 Click the map for an interactive, fullscreen view | |
| 45°26′12″N 12°19′34″E / 45.43667°N 12.32611°E | |
| Location | Venice |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Religious order | Franciscans |
| History | |
| Status | Conventual church Minor basilica |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Church |
The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, commonly abbreviated to the Frari, is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy. It is the largest church in the city and it has the status of a minor basilica. The church is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.
The imposing edifice is built of brick and is one of the three notable churches in the city that retain most of their Venetian Gothic appearance. In common with many Franciscan churches, the exterior is rather plain, even on the front facade. The exterior features a bell tower that was repaired in the early 2000s for structural problems.
The interior is notable for many tombs and works of art that accumulated in the centuries after it was built. It contains many very grand wall monuments to distinguished Venetians buried in the church, including a number of Doges. Many of these are important works in the history of Venetian sculpture, including that by Donatello. Paintings in situ include two large and important altarpieces by Titian, the Assumption of the Virgin on the high altar and the Pesaro Madonna in a chapel. The basilica also contains the only rood screen still in place in a church in Venice, a vestige of the Venetian Gothic architecture that preceded Venetian Renaissance architecture.