The Chiesa dei Miracoli is the Church of Miracles. The story of how it was first built is interesting, if not wholly true. A nobleman in the early 1400’s had a fresco of the Madonna painted in a nearby calle, which soon became the object of adoration by the inhabitants of the area. Soon after, a woman had been attacked by her husband with a knife, but she invoked the Madonna so loudly that the stabbing had no effect and she survived without a scar. To this, followed so many other miracles in the area, that soon the image was moved to a chapel built in honour of the Holy Mary; given the affluence of paying miracle-seekers, this chapel soon became the richly-coloured church we see today. The high number of external pillars creates the optical illusion that each side is actually longer than it really is. And here’s a teaser: The Miracoli is one of only two churches in Venice which is free on all four sides, we’ll let you discover the one in your own time.