The Churches of Venice: Sacred Places or Museum Spaces?

Many churches in Venice have become landmarks due to their artistic treasures. Their increased volume of visitors often has a primary goal of sightseeing rather than participating in religious services. Consequently, some of the churches have employed interpretation methods to satisfy the demand of mass tourism. The aim of the study is to investigate the role of current on-site interpretations of the churches and relate them to the visitors’ perceptions and experiences. The evaluation relies on qualitative methods such as case studies, visitors’ surveys, site observations, and interviews. The results are analyzed through the framework of the constructivist-learning theory, which affirms that people create their own meanings based on previous knowledge. The findings demonstrate that the interpretive methods on-sites present the visitors with experiences not usually associated with religious sites. The churches are experienced as tourist attractions rather then sacred sites—a perception that clearly interferes with their original purpose.