The church of San Antonio has a large screen and rood loft, of
cinque-cento-work, at the entrance of the choir, which is also
surrounded by screen-work, and another screen, of a much older date,
with open arches and tracery-work executed in marble, divides off the
chapel of S. Felice from the main body of the church. The arrangement of
the choir of this remarkable church is very similar to that which
prevailed in the French cathedrals; and some of the churches in Venice
bear a very close resemblance to the Flemish ecclesiastical buildings.
The chapel of Santa Maria dell' Arena, in the same city, remains nearly
in its original state, and exhibits a very curious example of choral
arrangement. The stalls partly return on each side of the entrance, and
are backed by stone walls about four feet high on the inside, and seven
on the outside; the space between them is ascended by steps, and forms a
platform or ambo for the chanting of the Gospel and Epistles, for which
purpose an iron and a marble desk, both of the fourteenth century, still
remain. These form a screen to the choir, and serve as dosells or
reredoses to two altars which are placed against them. There are no
appearances of there ever having been any screen-work above these, but
all above a solid wall seven feet high is of small consequence as
regards facilities of seeing for those in the nave. This chapel was not,
however, parochial, but erected for the use of a confraternity.