BROTHERHOODS

The religious brotherhoods, called SCUOLE in Venice, were a peculiar trait of Venetian society.

Their seats -also called Scuole- were meant to be a tangible sign of the social role they were playing .

We would like to show you two of them, not far from one another: San Rocco and Carmini.

The first brotherhood, founded in the 1400s, erected during the 1500s itsiconic seat, Jacopo Tintoretto was chosen to catty out its decoration in  his strong and dramatic style.

Nearby lies the Scuola dei Carmini, where Giambattista Tiepolo in his light and bright style describes the devotion to the Virgin of Carmel, whose cult was widespread among the popoulation.

On the other side of the town, in the Castello district, rise the Scuola Grande di San Marco and   San  Giorgio degli Schiavoni. The first one is close to SS. Giovanni and Paolo church, it still houses in its grand early Renaissance seat only part of its paintings- part of which is now at the Accademia. It's greatest asset, however, is its Museum of  Venetian Medicine. After a short, pleasant walk we reach the Dalmatian Scuola of San Giorgio de gli Schiavoni, which still preserve the extraordinary paintings by Vettore Carpaccio.