Scuola Grande di San Marco
Scuola Grande di San Marco
Scuola Grande di San Marco
4.5
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Neighbourhood: Castello
Castello is the largest of the six sestieri (districts), and the only one not facing onto the Grand Canal. More than half of Castello is situated within Arsenale, the naval base, which occupies over one-fifth the area of Venice. This gentrified maritime neighbourhood feels busy but casual. Castello’s side streets are laid back, with small boats lining canals criss-crossed by laundry. Semiannual exhibitions add a strong artsy current to the Arsenale area. Via Garibaldi in Castello, with its shops and bars, has one of Venice's rare straight and wide boulevards. When a large ship turns around the Lido to enter the Giudecca Canal, the startling sight creates an illusion that it will run aground right on Via Garibaldi! Families treasure Giardini near the island's tip, green with rare trees and grass, and Riva degli Schiavoni is a popular spot for Venetians to take a stroll to watch the sunset.
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4.5
228 reviews
Excellent
141
Very good
77
Average
7
Poor
1
Terrible
2
Go Coastal
Stamford, CT15 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
Don’t waste your money. The Bellini paintings are not here only pour reproduction prints; the originals are at the gallerie della academy under restoration The 5 euro entry not worth the price nothing else worthwhile to see. Skip the scuola and head to the church of Lazarus located behind the building on the canal; it’s free and houses a lovely Tintoretto and Veronese.
Written 5 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Asiyah Noemi K
Pula, Croatia5,332 contributions
Nov 2020
Already from Calle Larga Giacinto Gallina we saw the outlines of the beautiful Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. From the last bridge leading to Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo overlooking the facade of Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo and the facade of the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo we were left breathless, in wonder. Standing in this place and enjoying the beautiful architectural masterpieces is a real privilege. Of course, the rich history of buildings in us evokes admiration and awe. Scuola Grande di San Marco is a Renaissance palace and the former seat of the Venetian confraternities in Sestiere Castello. The Great Brotherhood of San Marco was founded in 1260 and had its headquarters near the now demolished church of Santa Croce (next to Piazzale Roma in Papadopoulos Park). The Dominicans of the church of San Giovanni e Paolo near Castello ceded their land to the fraternity in 1437 to build their new headquarters. Construction work was led by Pietro Lombardo and Giovanni Buora, but the palace burned down in a fire in 1485. Work on the erection of the new and larger palace was entrusted to Mauro Codussi, who built it in 1505, and after that the palace was extended in 1523 towards the Rio dei Mendicanti canal, thanks to the occupation of the architect Jacopo Sansovino. The rich polychrome marble facade of the palace, with numerous reliefs, has an asymmetrical structure that reflects the internal division of space, with a saloon on the left and the so-called hotel lounge (sala dell’albergo) on the right. From the very beginning, the brothers of the School decided to limit the reconstitution of the cycles of paintings, leaving out the vast spaces of the Chapter Room, to dedicate every resource to the smallest walls of the Sala dell'Albergo with a cycle of six canvases dedicated to episodes of life of San Marco. The Hall became one of the most spectacular complexes of the Venetian Renaissance, an attraction for European scholars and experts, thanks to the works of Gentile Bellini ("Sermon of San Marco"), Giovanni Bellini ("The martyrdom of San Marco"), Giovanni Mansueti (" Healing of Aniano "and" Baptism of Aniano "), Paris Bordon (" The fisherman gives the ring to the Doge "), Jacopo Palma il Vecchio (" Saints Mark, George and Nicholas save Venice from the storm "). From 1807 Scuola was turned into a military hospital and it has remained for the entire time of the Austrian administration until today, when it operates as the city hospital Ospedale Civile SS. Giovanni e Paolo.
Written 26 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amy K
London, UK38 contributions
Apr 2018
As a medical aficionado and lover of the weird and wonderful I highly recommend this baroque gem. Certainly worth a visit.
Written 6 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LJ_Sedgwick
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK23 contributions
Aug 2017
This glorious building is home to a small medical museum - which is logically next door to the hospital. The implements and drawings on display are fascinating, though it's a shame that the labels are only in Italian. Regulars to such collections will recognise many of the tools. It's also very quiet, so a good place to escape the hordes.
Written 4 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yvonne936
Sherborne, UK14 contributions
Sept 2019
Very interesting place to visit. The Receptionist was very helpful and explained the work of the Scuola which is borne out of the years. Ceilings and paintings are wonderful.
Written 24 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
momorussia
London, UK202 contributions
Oct 2019
I recommend to take and Audio guide in order to appreciate the magnificence of the Scuola and discover all the Tintoretto paintings
Written 7 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Geoff
Bexhill-on-Sea, UK47 contributions
Sept 2019
In my view principally famous for the equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni in front of it who died in 1475. This is the only statue of a real person in Venice prior to the end of the Venetian republic in 1797. Colleoni had left the City of Venice almost a million gold ducats in his will and they wanted the money. After much argument Venice hired the sculptor Andrea Verrocchio to execute the statue. The horse is the best part of it Verrocchio died before the statue was finished.
Written 2 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rumples
Tucson, AZ11,708 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
We entered here, mistakenly expecting some Tintoretto paintings, but they no longer hang in this former Scuola Grande. Instead, the building features a Museum of the History of Medicine and a Medical Historical Library on its first floor. This is a good choice because the members of the Scuola Grande had been famous physicians and surgeons, who practiced medicine for free. Though somewhat disappointed, we decided to pay the 5 E admission fee and look around.
Display cases group early medical instruments together according to use but offer information only in Italian, which we do not understand. Thus, we moved quickly from one display to the next. The library shows off thousands of volumes, one of which was written by Hippocrates. About five other visitors looked at exhibits with us. We enjoyed the museum's decor -- an impressive ornate ceiling and wall paintings -- and peaceful atmosphere more than its contents.
My "very good" rating reflects the beauty of the building itself. The Scuola Grande faces the Campo San Giovanni a Paolo, one of Venice's large squares. Rebuilt in the early 1500s after the previous structure was destroyed by fire, the white marble beauty features a classic Renaissance style with many statues as well as Byzantine arches and niches. The ground floor is a massive hall with ornate pillars. It leads to a public hospital, where I received good outpatient care two years before.
Display cases group early medical instruments together according to use but offer information only in Italian, which we do not understand. Thus, we moved quickly from one display to the next. The library shows off thousands of volumes, one of which was written by Hippocrates. About five other visitors looked at exhibits with us. We enjoyed the museum's decor -- an impressive ornate ceiling and wall paintings -- and peaceful atmosphere more than its contents.
My "very good" rating reflects the beauty of the building itself. The Scuola Grande faces the Campo San Giovanni a Paolo, one of Venice's large squares. Rebuilt in the early 1500s after the previous structure was destroyed by fire, the white marble beauty features a classic Renaissance style with many statues as well as Byzantine arches and niches. The ground floor is a massive hall with ornate pillars. It leads to a public hospital, where I received good outpatient care two years before.
Written 13 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ruth J
London, UK13 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
I learned about the Scuola Grande di San Marco when we were planning our trip to Venice, and decided very quickly that I wanted to visit. As this is a medical museum it's fair to say that it will not be for everyone - children especially will probably be very bored - but if you are interested in medical science and history it's well worth visiting.
The building is somewhat off the beaten track and the museum itself is on the second floor of the building - admission is free for the ground floor, but there is a charge to view the medical collection. This is housed in a truly beautiful gallery (mirrors are provided to view the gorgeous gilded ceiling without having to crane your neck) and contains a small but comprehensive collection of illustrated medical texts and equipment dating from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century. Exhibits are captioned in Italian and if there was a guidebook in English I was not aware of it, but the collection itself is quite fascinating in any language. If this sounds even slightly intriguing, I would highly recommend the trip.
The building is somewhat off the beaten track and the museum itself is on the second floor of the building - admission is free for the ground floor, but there is a charge to view the medical collection. This is housed in a truly beautiful gallery (mirrors are provided to view the gorgeous gilded ceiling without having to crane your neck) and contains a small but comprehensive collection of illustrated medical texts and equipment dating from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century. Exhibits are captioned in Italian and if there was a guidebook in English I was not aware of it, but the collection itself is quite fascinating in any language. If this sounds even slightly intriguing, I would highly recommend the trip.
Written 27 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna L
Madrid, Spain9 contributions
Mar 2015 • Solo
This place is thankfully off the heavilly tread paths near the grande canal, and is definitely worth a visit. From the front, the marble facade looks like any other church in Venice, but inside you understand that this is actually a modern hospital (the ambulances are boats, of course). There is a cloister to sit in and enjoy, and also of course, the Medical museum in the lovely frescoed main reading room. The descriptions are in Italian, but some of the devices I'd rather not know the function!
Written 7 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How much is admission and where do you buy the tickets?
Written 20 August 2018
I think it was 5 euro and when you enter the building,go up the stairs directly to your right to access the exhibit.
Written 21 August 2018
Non ricordo... mi sembra circa 10 Euro per persona... comunque sempre troppo poco, tenuto conto degli altissimi costi di manutenzione dei siti museali italiani.
Written 22 July 2018
Can you please tell me, on which side of the building is the front entrance? And can you also enter from the back on the F. Nove?
Written 29 March 2017
It's better to enter from San Giovanni e Paolo, the main entrance of Venice Hospital
Written 5 April 2017
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