There are places in Venice that seem made to be experienced slowly, perhaps sharing silence and glances. San Giorgio Maggiore is one of them: a compact, luminous island just beyond St Mark’s Square, offering a more intimate experience and, without needing to say it too openly, a deeply evocative one. Until 22 February 2026, San Giorgio Maggiore becomes even more compelling thanks to the presence of a contemporary illuminated manuscript created by Luc Tuymans, inviting visitors to discover the island through art.
This is not an exhibition to rush through. Rather, it is an encounter — a suspended moment in which contemporary art, architecture and silence naturally intertwine.
The Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore: a dialogue between eras
The project takes shape inside the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore, one of the most elegant and harmonious places of Palladian Venice. Here, the Benedictine community has for several years been pursuing a unique path, inviting contemporary artists to reinterpret the tradition of choir books — illuminated manuscripts that for centuries accompanied the Liturgy of the Hours.
Tuymans’ manuscript is placed on the wooden lectern of the badalone, at the centre of the choir of the high altar. It is a symbolic position, allowing the work to engage directly with the history of the site. The painted pages do not seek to dominate, but rather guide the gaze with dense, essential images, capable of suggesting more than explaining.
Alongside the manuscript, the Basilica also displays the two paintings Heat and Musicians, created by Tuymans to temporarily occupy the space of Tintoretto’s great canvases, currently under restoration. The comparison is delicate, never forced: a dialogue made of echoes, pauses and light.
An art that invites you to slow down
Luc Tuymans is known for a form of painting that works with memory and its ambiguities. In this context, his language becomes even quieter and more introspective. The work does not demand specific knowledge, but attention. It is an art meant to be experienced together, sharing impressions and leaving room for personal interpretation.
Here, the cultural experience is inseparable from the place itself: everything contributes to creating a collected, almost suspended atmosphere, turning the visit into something more than a simple artistic stop.
Reaching the island: a short journey on the water
Getting to San Giorgio Maggiore is easy, yet meaningful. Just a few minutes by vaporetto from St Mark’s Square are enough to find yourself facing a different Venice — more open, less crowded. This brief crossing over the water already marks a change of pace, as if the city were inviting you to look at it from another perspective.
Once on the island, everything is designed for a slower pace: the Basilica, the open spaces, the silence broken only by wind and water. It is the ideal setting to experience art without distractions.
The bell tower: one of Venice’s most moving views
The visit finds a natural conclusion in the ascent of the Bell Tower of San Giorgio Maggiore. Less frequented than other viewpoints, it offers a broad, balanced view over the city: St Mark’s Square, the basin, the domes and the rooftops rising from the water.
From above, Venice appears almost abstract, geometric, immersed in light. An experience that, without the need for many words, leaves a lasting impression.
Another Venice to take with you
Discovering San Giorgio Maggiore through the art of Luc Tuymans means choosing a more discreet yet profoundly intense Venice. A place where contemporary art, spirituality and architecture coexist in balance, offering an experience that speaks of time, attention and shared beauty. It is a Venice that does not seek to astonish, but to be remembered — and often it is precisely this quieter, more collected Venice that stays in the memory the longest.
The visit to this island fits naturally into a stay lived without haste. If you are thinking of spending time in Venice during this period, you can book directly here and shape your time in the city according to the rhythm that suits you best.