Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari Venice, Italy

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in San Polo district was built on land given the Doge Tiepolo to Franciscan friars who arrived in Venice in the 13th century. The massive Gothic structure extant today was finished in the 1400s after a century of work.

The abstemiousness of the friars is apparent in the plain walls of the building and relative absence of the fine artworks that adorn other Venetian religious buildings. However I Frari as it's known locally does contain some outstanding paintings including some altarpieces by Titian and Bellini's Madonna with Child. Several elaborate mausoleums were added in the 19th century such as the pyramid-shaped tomb of sculptor Antonio Canova and a grand monument to Titian. Other outstanding sights include a startlingly realistic wooden sculpture of St. John the Baptist that dates back to 1438.