Torcello Cathedral

The Basilica of Santi Maria e Donato was founded in the 7th century. The church is a masterpiece of Venetian-Byzantine art, known for three things: its magnificent chevet, the mosaic of its semi-dome apse depicting the Orante Virgin (11th century), and above all its exceptional mosaic pavement reminiscent of that of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice (11th-15th centuries).

The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli dates back to the 12th century when the church was founded with a monastery. Demolished and rebuilt, the church was rededicated in 1529. There followed a period of prosperity which reached its peak in 1574 when Henry III, King of Poland and recently King of France, decided to visit the church. Young nuns from the most noble Venetian families were welcomed to the monastery, which enriched the church. After the suppression of the monastery (1810), the church was also closed (1848) and stripped of many of its possessions. After a restoration in 1861, it was reopened for worship in 1863, and in the early 19th century the two sides adjacent to the nave were used as a lazaretto to house the poorest families on the island.

The church of San Pietro Martire was built in 1348 with a convent of Dominican fathers and was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was erected by Marco Michiel and consecrated on 17 September 1417. It was completely destroyed by fire in 1474 and it was only in 1511 that it was rebuilt as it appears today. The church was closed in 1806, a few years after the fall of the Venetian Republic, and was not reopened for worship until 1813. It is currently one of the two parish churches on the island of Murano.