The San Pietro relief is a historic marble carving dating to the thirteenth century. Possibly originally from the church of Santa Sofia, just over a century ago it was transferred to a niche on San Trovaso’s exterior. Since then, it has there remained exposed to the elements. This full-length figure of St Peter, holding a scroll and keys, has suffered extensive deterioration due to its vulnerable location near the canal. Atmospheric pollution and the oxidation of the surrounding iron grating have caused staining and damage to the marble. From the waist down, the surface shows signs of spalling and loss of material.

As part of an essential conservation project, the relief has been carefully removed from its niche for cleaning and restoration, and it will eventually be relocated to a safer setting inside the church, in the Cappella Molin, to ensure its long-term preservation.

The conservation and relocation of the San Pietro relief is dedicated to the memory of Peter Boizot MBE, renowned founder of Pizza Express and recipient of the Cavaliere Ufficiale al Merito della Repubblica Italiana. Peter’s initiative to donate a proportion of the proceeds from every Veneziana pizza sold in his restaurants to Venice in Peril Fund has significantly supported conservation efforts in the city for several decades. Peter passed away in 2018 and we are raising the funds for this project in his memory.

Pre-extraction operations will include the careful removal of debris, the preconsolidation of fragile areas, and the creation of a protective shell around the relief to allow for safe handling and transport. Once the relief is removed, the niche from which it came will also be cleaned and conserved to preserve the historic setting.

The conservation treatment of the relief itself will begin with the gentle cleaning of its surface using soft brushes and micro-vacuums to eliminate salt deposits, areas of marble powdering, and superficial pinkish patinas. This will be followed by a controlled washing process using demineralised water combined with an ammonium carbonate solution to address more stubborn surface encrustations without harming the original stone. The relief will also undergo a desalination process, which will involve the application of poultices soaked with demineralised water to draw out salts that have built up within the marble over time. Areas of loss and material detachment will be infilled using a carefully formulated mixture based on slaked lime, hydraulic lime, and marble powder, designed to match the texture and colour of the original stone as closely as possible. Finally, a protective coating will be applied to the entire surface to guard against future deterioration while allowing the marble to breathe, ensuring the relief’s continued preservation in its new, sheltered location within the church.

Conservation is to be undertaken by UniSVe.

Venice in Peril Fund has committed to raising €21,230.