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Hidden corners

The Baptist's Head

The church of San Zan Degola on its campo: the Baptist’s head is set into the side wall, beside the door
The church of San Zan Degola on its campo: the Baptist’s head is set into the side wall, beside the door Photo: Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

On the flank of the church, to the right of the side door opening onto the campo, there is a severed head resting on a platter. It is St John the Baptist, and this is his most literal image: San Zan Degola means St John Beheaded, the decapitated Baptist, and here the martyrdom is read in stone.

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