ABSTRACT
The close-knit parish communities of Venice produced and venerated new saints who had been, at some point in the recent past, local inhabitants actively engaged in the affairs of their neighbourhoods. Support networks naturally emerged amongst the residents, which meant that reciprocity came to define parish relationships. The parish members took care of each other through emotional support, practical assistance, donations of food and clothing, and prayers. The inscription relates that Angelo was the first priest of the church of San Pantalon, where he died on 5 January 1253. It celebrates the new saint as the ‘light of angelic truth’ and a faithful servant of God. In 1887, on the seven hundredth anniversary of his death, a bust of Pietro Acotanto by sculptor Giovanni Fusaro was unveiled in the church of San Trovaso, where Pietro’s relics were transferred in 1821.
