The tomb of Doge Francesco Morosini in the church of Santo Stefano in Venice

The church of Santo Stefano in Venice is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the city. Inside there are several works of art and funerary monuments, including the tomb of Doge Francesco Morosini (1619 - 1694), right in the middle of the floor is an amazing work in bronze by Antonio Gaspari and Filippo Parodi.

This doge, during and after his life, was hailed as a hero by the Republic of Venice and was bestowed with many honours, since, at a time when Venice was living a period of great decline, he succeeded in just a few years (1683-1687) to conquer a part of Greece which was under the Turks. This feat earned him the title of 'Peloponnesiaco', the title of the doge in 1688, a triumphal arch in the hall of the Scrutiny in the Doge's Palace and even his favourite cat was embalmed (currently exhibited at the Natural History Museum in Venice).

The rest of the world, however, remembers him for a very different reason: while besieging Athens, a mortar round destroyed part of the Parthenon on the Acropolis, which the Turks had turned into a powder keg and thereby causing the roof to collapse, (which until then had remained miraculously intact).

He never married so, when he died, he left his fortune to the descendants of the brothers, on condition that they called Francesco their sons forever... A decidedly humble man!