30/03/2023
Many of the beautiful churches in Venice have a bell tower next to them, in the past an indispensable tool for carrying out the daily life of all the inhabitants of the parish; in fact, the tolling of the bell marked the beginning and end of the working day and the various religious functions.
The door that led to the top of the bell tower almost always has a decorative relief, such as an angel, for example, but more often these are grotesque masks, monstrous faces that make strange grimaces.
According to popular belief, the mask had to be used to ward off the devil who wanted to enter to ring the bells, thus causing havoc among the people regulated by their tolling.
The 'most beautiful' mask in Venice is probably that of the church of Santa Maria Formosa in Castello nicknamed “el mascaron”