Venetians have long memories, which is why this church is still called I Gesuati by locals despite the namesake religious order having been replaced by the Dominicans in 1668. The Dominican friars commissioned Giorgio Massari to design a completely new church a couple of doors down from the old one, which still remains. Unsurprisingly, St Dominic plays a leading role in Tiepolo’s acclaimed ceiling frescoes (1738–39) in the new church, which was completed in 1735.
Overwhelming grief grips the Madonna in Tintoretto’s sombre 1565 Crucifixion, positioned on the altar to the left of the main altar. Altogether lighter is Sebastiano Ricci's Saints Peter and Thomas with Pope Pius V (1730–33), complete with comical cherubim performing celestial tumbling routines.
