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This painting is a view of the Campo San Zanipolo with the loggia temporarily erected outside the Scuola di San Marco for the benediction of Pope Pius VI on 19 May 1782.
In May 1782, Pope Pius VI visited the city of Venice. The ceremonies and festivities on that occasion were recorded by Francesco Guardi in a series of four paintings. The city council commissioned Guardi to make four paintings representing the following subjects: the arrival of the pontiff near San Giorgio in Alga, the papal mass in SS Giovanni e Paolo, the papal audience and the blessing of the people on Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo.
On the occasion of the Pope Pius VI blessing the crowd a temporary wooden loggia, designed by Antonio Codognato, was erected on the façade of the Scuola di San Marco. Once the Pope had finished his blessing the crowds were allowed to mount the loggia and the existence of at least three variants of this subject, including the present one, attest to the popularity of the composition.
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