Gian Antonio Selva facts for kids

Portrait of Selva at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice.

Gian Antonio Selva (born September 2, 1751 – died January 22, 1819) was an Italian Neoclassical architect. He was known for designing many important buildings, especially in Venice and other parts of Italy.

Biography

Gian Antonio Selva was born in Venice, Italy. His father, Lorenzo Selva, was a scientist. Gian Antonio studied architecture in Venice. He learned from famous people like the architect Tommaso Temanza and the painter Pietro Antonio Novelli.

Selva loved to travel and learn. He visited Rome, where he met the famous sculptor Antonio Canova. They even traveled together to Naples. Selva also explored other countries. Between 1778 and 1781, he visited London, Paris, Belgium, and the Netherlands. These travels helped him learn about different building styles.

His Main Projects

Gian Antonio Selva designed or renovated many important buildings. One of his most famous works was the original Teatro La Fenice in Venice. This beautiful opera house was first designed in 1798. Sadly, it was destroyed by fire in 1996, but it was later rebuilt.

Other important buildings he worked on include:

• The renovation of Palazzo Dolfin Manin for a leader called Ludovico Manin.
• The Villa Manfrin detta Margherita a Sant'Artemio, near Treviso (around 1790).
• The renovation of Palazzo Smith Mangilli Valmarana (1784).
• The Teatro Nuovo of Trieste (1798).
• The Teatro de La Sena of Feltre.
• The cathedral of Cologna Veneta (1807–1810).
• The church of San Maurizio in Venice (1806).

His Writings

Besides designing buildings, Selva also wrote books. He wrote a description of different works in Venice. He also translated books from other languages. For example, he translated works by Perrault from French and Chambers from English.

Gian Antonio Selva died suddenly in Venice in 1819. He left behind a legacy of beautiful and important buildings.

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