Mysteries & Legends

Freemasons in Venice and the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene

Venice, an ever magic and mysterious city, was already in the 18^th century the centre of an influential Freemasonry fraternity, whose members also included the famous adventurer Giacomo Casanova.

Here, the Freemasonry fraternity was so powerful and rich that they had a church built following the Freemasonry doctrines – the church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cannaregio.

A few components of the Baffo family, affiliated to the Freemasonry in Venice, contracted the architect Tommaso Temanza, also a member of the fraternity, to build the ‘Freemasonry’ church. Temenza designed a perfectly round building with a neo classic style and a symbol of the Freemasonry etched on the architrave of the main door – an eye inscribed within a circle and a pyramid with the writing ‘SAPIENTIA EDIFICAVIT SIBI DOMUM’, a reference to the cult of the divine knowledge, which is at the base of the Freemason ideologies.

Temanza himself is buried inside the church and his headstone is decorated with a line and compasses, the most important symbol of the Freemasonry, as its members would define themselves as ‘builders’.

It is no surprise that this ‘Freemasonry’ church is dedicated to Mary Magdalene, a mysterious figure, sometimes rejected by the church, beloved instead by the Freemasonry and its members who considered her a symbol of wisdom and the struggle against the obscurantism of the church.

Wednesday, November 20

We had plenty of time to take a long walk on Deck 14 before sitting down to breakfast in the dinning room. Later, Liz went to zumba class while I worked on the journal. After lunch we prepared to go topside as we were getting ready to sail into port. We had booked an excursion through OnLine Vacation instead of Celebrity.

We arrived in Venice at two o'clock in the afternoon and sailed alongside this amazing city to the Maritime Port, just a five minute walk from Piazzale Roma. We had checked with the Equinox Concierge and discovered that our excursion meeting place was in the old Jewish quarter and easily walkable. He gave us a map and suggested we take the Peoplemover (1€ for three minute ride) from the cruise terminal to the Piazzale and then walk from there to Campo de la Maddalena.

It was a great walk along parts of the Grand Canal, past the railroad station, and along a major thoroughfare filled with lovely shops, restaurants, and cafe’s. I was particularly careful to learn the way to the Campo so that I could easily find our way back later that evening. Our actual link-up with our guide was to be at La Maddalena. As we got closer I did check with a couple of locals to insure we found the church. We were early so we could wander around for another forty-five minutes before joining another dozen people and our guide.

Santa Maria Maddalena in Cannaregio, (La Maddalena) is a church in Venice, Italy, in the sestiere of Cannaregio.

A religious edifice is known in the site as early as 1222, owned by the Balbo patrician family. When, in the mid-14th century, the Venetian Senate established a public holiday for Mary Magdalene's feast, it was decided to enlarge the church, including a watchtower which was turned into a bell tower.

The church was restored in the early 18th century, but in 1780 it was entirely rebuilt under design by Tommaso Temanza, with a circular plan inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. The bell tower was demolished in 1888. The most notable feature is the portal, with Masonic symbols over the door (probably connected to the Balbo's membership in the Knights Templar). The interior has hexagonal plan with four side chapels and a presbytery.

Outside the apse is a 15th-century bas-relief of the Madonna with Child.

Elizabeth, our guide, arrived ten minutes before the scheduled time, introduced herself, and took the roll. One couple had not yet arrived and we waited an extra fifteen minutes for them. As we waited our guide said she is a native Venetian whose Norwegian mother came here to attend school. She fell in love with the city and Elizabeth's father and remained.

When our group was complete we walked north deeper into the to the sestiere (1/6 of Venice) of Cannaregio. This sestiere was also home to the Jews of Venice, who were confined to its Ghetto (from geto, the venetian word for foundry) for several hundred years. It is said that this district presents the most authentic depiction of the way old Venice appeared.

Now we had left the tourist area and walked down streets next to canals plied by working barges and gondolas. We walked over a dozen bridges, mostly less than 25 feet long, and then through narrow streets past small shops, fishermen standing at the edge of the water, and barges carrying building repair materials.

The purpose of this Venetian tour was to allow us to experience the excitement of Italian Bacari wine bars and taste chicchetti dishes (Venetian-style tapas) along the way. And to experience a bit of the social life enjoyed by local citizens.

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