San Samuele stands on the campo of the same name in Venice, near Palazzo Grassi. Its facade is set back from the campo but faces the Grand Canal. The Boldù and Soranzo families built it around the year 1000. Two fires destroyed it in the early twelfth century, and it was rebuilt. In 1685 it was almost entirely rebuilt, though the late-Gothic apse survived. The portico of the facade is now closed and topped by a loggia added in 1952.
A fourteenth-century crucifix attributed to Paolo Veneziano hangs over the high altar. The frescoes include eight Sibyls and the four Church Fathers in the vault, and they were restored starting in 1999.
The church is named for the biblical Samuel and holds relics traditionally attributed to him. It is one of only a few Roman Catholic churches dedicated to an Old Testament figure.
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