San Biagio Chapel

The chapel of St. Blaise (Italian: Cappella di San Biagio), located inside the church of Santi Nazaro e Celso in Verona, was built at the behest of the confraternity of San Biagio beginning in 1488 to house the relics of the saint of the same name, bishop of Sebastea in Armenia, which arrived there in 1174 following a German baron. The chapel was designed by architect Beltrame Iarola assisted by Giovanni Maria Falconetto, with the latter also responsible for much of the pictorial decoration. The solemn translation of the relics took place at Easter 1508 but the consecration of the chapel was held later, on January 31, 1529, in a ceremony presided over by Gian Pietro Carafa, the future Pope Paul IV.

All the walls of the chapel are frescoed by some of the most important Veronese painters of the 16th century, among whom, in addition to Falconetto, were Bartolomeo Montagna, Paolo Morando (known as Cavazzola), Domenico Morone and Girolamo dai Libri. The polygonal apse houses an altarpiece by Francesco Bonsignori and a valuable raised altar with the ark of Saints Blaise and Juliana by Bernardino Panteo.