Scuole Grandi

The Scuole of Venice

The word scuola in Venice can indicate two things: most of them were professional associations and brotherhoods of people who did the same job and used to meet in such a buildings to discuss about their work and to worship the patron saint of their order.
But the word Scuole of Venice could also indicate the religious confraternities for laity, which were born to assist poor people, widows, orphans, old and sick people.
Six of them were called “Scuole Grandi“, with an internal rule approved by the State which was called mariegola.
In this section you will find a short introduction to the six Scuole Grandi of Venice.

  • Scuola Grande dei Carmini

     Scuola Grande dei Carmini was founded at the end of XVI century by friars of the Carmelite order, just beside the homonym church and convent. It has been the last…

  • Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista

     Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista (Saint John the Evangelist) is located in San Polo district, not far from the railway station. Passers-by are often amazed by the white marble…

  • Scuola Grande di San Marco

    Scuola Grande di San Marco was founded in 1260, as the site of Saint Mark's brotherhood. Its Renaissance style facade (with Byzantine elements) was designed by Lombardo and Codussi. Scuola…

  • Scuola Grande di San Rocco

    Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice was founded in 1478 just beside the homonym church. The worship of San Rocco (Saint Roch) became very important in Venice after a terrible…

  • Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Carità

    The case of Santa Maria della Carità is representative of the organization of religious and civil life on Venice: the scuola stays just beside the church, and so does the…

  • Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Misericordia

    Scuola Grande della Misericordia, by Sansovino, should have been the most impressive scuola of the town in the mind of its creator - in the mid XVI century, scuole were…