I was stunned when I looked over and saw him all stretched out.
Here’s how it happened.
Painting of the Campo San Zaccaria filled with people. The Church of San Zaccaria and the adjoining monastery are visible behind the crowd. 18th century painting by Gabriele Bella, titled, Visit of the Doge to San Zaccaria on Easter Day. Image source: here.
We were on a walking tour in Venice and scheduled to visit a number of sites including the world famous Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco (St. Mark). However, because of the press of visitors, St Mark’s required a timed entry.
Translation: We had a little time to kill before it was our turn to walk through the front door.
The Unexpected Detour: Campo San Zaccaria
So our guide took us a short walk off the beaten track to Campo San Zaccaria, a public square in the Castello district of Venice. The 15th century Chiesa di San Zaccaria or “Church of San Zaccaria” dominates the square. The façade presents itself it two phases: the lower phase is constructed of colored marble and is Gothic in style; the upper phase is brilliant white and has an early Renaissance look. It was quiet and shady and all the more lovely as it was an unexpected stop.
You can easily see the two stages of the façade: the lower level—as high as the entry door—is composed of colored marble while the upper lever is composed of white Istrian stone.
The poster near the entry advertises the “water crypt” and the “Church Museum.” The crypt holds the tombs of eight early Venetian doges and is often flooded due to Venetian tides.
From Masterpieces to Mortal Remains
Our group went inside and took a seat. The guide presented an overview of the place and some of the amazing art hanging on its walls. Of these, Giovanni Bellini's famous 1505 San Zaccaria Altarpiece (“Madonna and Child with Saints”) is the best known. Seeing this luminous masterpiece glowing in the exact setting Bellini designed it for is a highlight for any art lover.
The San Zaccaria Altarpiece. It was painted and signed by the artist, “Giovanni Bellini, 1505.”
I took in the art for a time, but soon my gaze drifted over to the right side of the nave where niches seemingly held two bodies. I squinted, rubbed my eyes, then squinted again. They were bodies, alright. And there was signage. From my seat I slowly deciphered the Latin letters:
CORPUS S. ZACCARIÆ
PATRIS S. JO: BAPTISTÆ
or
“The Body of Saint Zacharie
Father of Saint John the Baptist.”
The small sign with a big claim that caught my eye.
Up Close with Biblical History
My interest in the renaissance and madonnas and fat-baby angels and Bellini evaporated. I needed to escape. But how? Fortunately I was on the end of the row. I slipped out of my seat, as nonchalantly as possible (the guide was still talking) to look more closely. Sure enough, two “bodies” were entombed on the wall, lighted, and behind glass. The lower one was behind bars and marked “The body of Saint Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church.” I didn’t see that one coming either (more on Athanasius of Alexandria on a future post).
That meant that the upper body, held aloft by winged angels, must be that of Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth, the father of John, the priest who was struck mute in the story told in Luke 1! I couldn’t believe it! Of course, it was too high for my short legs (without climbing on the altar . . . a pretty big no-no in a place like this!).
Assuming Zechariah died and was buried somewhere near Jerusalem, how did his remains wind up in a church cubby in Venice, Italy?
The altar with the two niches containing bodies (or bodily representations).
Athanasius of Alexandria seems to have weathered the years quite well.
The Three-chapter Journey to Venice
This story reads like a medieval thriller and plays out in three chapters:
Chapter 1: Early first century. Zechariah dies and is buried somewhere in the Holy Land.
Chapter 2: Sometime in the early 5th century, a local villager has a dream. This leads to the discovery of the human remains. They are excavated and relocated to the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. (Interestingly, the body was originally believed to be that of an Old Testament prophet, also named Zechariah. Hmmm.).
Chapter 3: Byzantine Emperor Leo V gifts the remains to the Venetian Doge Agnello Partecipazio. We’re talking ninth century now.
This final move was genius. In the Middle Ages, holy relics were powerful political currency. Emperor Leo V used the body as a high-value diplomatic bribe to secure Venice's military alliance against the Saracens.
Like Athanasius, the remains of Zechariah seem to be well preserved. It is likely a wax mask or bust, placed over the skeletal remains. Since I was too short to get the shot I acquired this image from here.
The Verdict: Is the body Really Zechariah?
Soooo . . . Are these remains truly those of the New Testament character?
First, it should be remembered that Venice is not the only place that claims to possess Zechariah relics.
Zechariah tombs have been identified in the Kidron Valley of Jerusalem (“Absolom’s Tomb”), the Great Mosque of Aleppo in Syria, and possibly in Ein Kerem, outside of Jerusalem. Zechariah relics are claimed to be located in an Armenian monastery (Gandzasar Monastery), a monastery on Mt Athos, Athens, and a monastery in Sintza of Arcadia, Greece.
(Obviously, Zechariah got around.)
Second, it should be remembered that there has been no modern forensic investigation to determine the truth of the Venetian claim. All we can say with certainty is this: Constantinople was incentivized to declare the remains authentic. They desperately needed the Venetian navy, and the physical body of a biblical character would have made a solid trade. Everybody wanted to believe the claim.
Third, it should be remembered that Venice picked up the body of Saint Mark in the early 9th century as well. I’m no expert in additive behavor, but I sense the city had serious relic habit.
For more on Venice and its relics, see our post “The Bone Heist that Built Venice.”
We plan to be back in Venice next year as part of our “Taste of Italy” tour scheduled for May 13-22, 2027. To learn more about this and other travel opportunities in the lands of the Bible, follow the link here.
We have room for you.
Discover the place where faith begins!