Frari Choir

Basilica dei Frari - Artworks Hits: 3915
Basilica dei Frari Choir

The choir is made up of three rows of inlaid dossals and carved that ending with a shell painted and gilded surmounted by a pinnacle on which is placed a figure of angel and is closed externally by a marble dating back to 1475 which is placed the crucifix attributed to Andrea Verrocchio. The old choir of the Friars, the only remaining example in Venice in its original position and structure, is located between the fourth and sixth pillar of the nave. The work is signed, the head of the first stall towards the sacristy, by Marco Cozzi. The choir consists of 124 stalls spread over three orders: 50 upper order, 40 in the medium and 34 in the lower.

In 1475 the exterior front and side of the choir was surrounded with stones from Istria. It is divided into many bas-reliefs representing the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament. They represented the four doctors of the Church: St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Augustine and St. Jerome. Above the crown are two statues of eight apostles, St. Anthony and St. Francis, and the sides of the large crucifix attributed to Verrocchio, the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist. The two busts of San Bernardino and St. Louis of Anjou rest on two plates that hold the bow. These two and four doctors of the Church are the work of Pietro Lombardo and the rest is attributed to his workshop.