Local Hero

Walking Tours of Venice

Statue of Daniele Manin by Luigi Borro

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In 1875 the city of Venice erected a monument to Daniele Manin (1804-57), local hero and leader of the short-lived Republic of San Marco (1848-9), the Venetians' failed insurrection against their Austrian overlords. 

Sporting a sash across his chest and with his hand thrust into his jacket, Manin looks every bit a man of importance. There is no inscription on the monument, only the single word, Manin. The bronze statue is the work of Luigi Borro (1826-86). A winged lion (what else!), its wings unfurled, sits at the base of the monument

The city-fathers were keen to erect the monument close to the house in which Manin lived during the insurrection and so the very ancient church of San Paternian (one of the oldest in Venice) was duly razed to the ground to make room. A plaque marks the spot where the church once stood and another plaque on the wall across the canal identifies Manin’s home.

The Campo San Paternian was duly renamed Campo Manin. 

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Monument to Daniele Manin by Luigi Borro