The Scuola Grande di San Marco is one of seven Venetian Schools. Since the early 20th century it has also housed Venice’s General Hospital SS Giovanni e Paolo. 

The Schools were gathering places for Venetian citizens, where both patricians and commoners would meet. They were essentially charitable associations committed to supporting the poor or widows or certain categories of orphans.

The Schools could be divided into the Scuole Grandi, Schools of Arts and Trades, and Foreign Community Schools.

The Scuole Grandi had funding to construct ad hoc buildings for their meetings, commissioning the greatest architects of the time and decorating them with masterpieces of great artistic value and workmanship.

The oldest Venetian School is the Scuola Grande di San Teodoro, followed, in chronological order, by the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the Scuola Grande di San Marco, the Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Carità, the Scuola Grande dei Carmini, and the Scuola Grande della Misericordia.

The Scuola Grande di San Marco was recently returned to its former glory by careful restoration work which has bestowed on the world an extraordinarily unique place, rich in history, charm and artistic works.

For more information on the history and artistic works present at the Scuola Grande di San Marco, please go to the official website:

http://www.scuolagrandesanmarco.it/