The Isle of San Giorgio in Alga in the Venice lagoon

The Venice Lagoon is made up of lots of small islands, many of which are far from busy inhabited areas and abandoned.

During the Republican era these islands often housed monasteries, whereas in the 18th century they were used mainly as barracks or munitions deposits.

One of these islands particularly fascinates treasure hunters: San Giorgio in Alga.

Nowadays this island looks very desolate: the church, dating back to the 15th century (renovated after a fire in 1717), retains only a part of its ancient splendour and the remaining buildings are in ruins (it was bombed during the Second World War). However, in the past it housed a flourishing community of Benedictine monks, who settled here back in the 11th century.

According to legend, a member of the Templar knighthood order, fleeing from persecutions perpetrated against them by the French king Philip Le Bel in 1312, stopped at the island of San Giorgio in Alga to hide the Templar’s precious and legendary treasure, which still lies undiscovered.

The island is also famous for housing a community of Augustinian monks in the 15th century, among which Lorenzo Justinian, who then became patriarch of Venice in 1451 and was proclaimed Saint in 1690.

If reading this post has made you want to discover many other mysterious and little-known islands in the Venice lagoon, discover our private houseboat excursion to the mystery islands: the itinerary does not include San Giorgio in Alga, which is too far from the historic centre, but will let you explore many other legendary places on a unique boat tour!