The church, despite being labelled by John Ruskin as `small and contemptible,' is among Palladio's masterpieces. Its facade is based on various superimposed temple fronts and its proportions strictly calculated following a complicated system.
Palladio has been criticized for his preoccupation with mathematic analysis and ratio. However, his advocates say his genius transcended his numbers and he was able to rule them rather than they rule him. Others who attempted to use similar calculations were not nearly as successful.