The church of San Nicolo dei Mendicoli dates to the 7th century, contemporary with the cathedral of Torcello. It retains some features of early Veneto-Byzantine design such as the layout with a partition between nave and chancel, the campanile and the  western porch.  The nave capitals date from the 14th century and include a portrait of the original patronal saint: the Serbian martyr St. Niceta. The gilded wooden carvings were added to the medieval arcades in the 1580s at the same time as much of the rich ornament, the choir loft and the cycle of paintings.

With the Venetian heritage authorities directing the work, Venice in Peril funded first, the reroofing of the church, then an innovative waterproof membrane to protect the marble paving.  The brickwork of the lower walls of the church were rebuilt with a damp-course and a technique called ‘scuci-cuci’ (patching of bricks).  All the gilded wooden sculptures and the iconostasis (or screen) underwent treatment in a laboratory at Ca’d’Oro.  The stonework of a delicate side altar was repaired and the baroque  organ, which has a historic instrument designation, was removed for full repair and conservation before being reinstalled.

In the same period, the conservation of the cycle of paintings above the arcades was funded by the government.

In 1980 heating and lighting were installed with half the funding coming from  Venice in Peril. To support the sustainability of activities in the parish, a further scheme to restore and install services in the adjoining Oratory was undertaken between 1991-96.