The Scuola della Passione was a lay religious charity, established in the early 1500s when it quickly gathered a large membership.

Besides the Easter procession, it partook, with the Scuole Grandi, in the ceremonies at the cathedral of San Pietro di Castello, and, as other charities and guilds, in the distribution of alms and provision of dowries for young, poor women.

Despite its importance, the Scuola della Passione was never awarded the recognition as a Scuola Grande.

The charity was suppressed in 1810, during the reign of Napoleon, and its patrimony sold and dispersed.

Source: Venetia citta nobilissima et singolare published in 1581 by Francesco Sansovino (1520–1583).

School of the Passion

Almost in imitation of these great ones,¹ but not, however, in the number of the six, although by no means smaller in the quantity of brothers, another school called of the Passion has arisen in these years, but different in habits and in insignia. They are seen once a year in procession, that is, on the night of Holy Thursday when the miraculous blood is shown to the other brotherhoods. Their initial meeting place was in San Giuliano, but later it was moved to the Frari. ¶

The officials of this school dispense alms, marry off maidens,² and so on, doing as the others do. On the Sundays of Lent they visit the Church of Saint Peter³ in imitation of the six major ones, and, still growing in number and devotion, it is believed that in time it will become something important. ¶

To the aforementioned schools is added an incredible number of schools or brotherhoods called ‘small’, located in various Churches because every craft (and crafts are abundant) has its school governed by the annual Gastaldo⁴ with the bank, and regulated by the decisions made by them according to the needs of the craft, all of which are subject to the Giustizia Vecchia.⁵ ¶

From these small brotherhoods or schools, in times of war, men are drawn for arming, according to the status of said schools. And each school has in every Church its altar, and many of them marry off young women, distribute alms, and perform other such pious works.

In addition to this, there are the schools of the Sacrament in every Church, separate from those of the arts, which attend solely to the altar of the body of Our Lord, taking care of it in terms of vestments, lamps, and other things necessary for such a matter. ¶

And these, after the solemn day of Corpus Christi, on which the Signoria⁶ holds a most solemn procession, every year on Sunday, according to their turn, carry out the procession for the said feast. Now all the sacred places mentioned above, both Churches and every other Sanctuary built in this city, it is impossible to narrate, what wealth they possess and in what abundance to administer the offices that pertain to His Divine Majesty. ¶

Besides, all the Churches, no matter how small they are, have a bell tower, an organ, and a square either at the side or in front. And every square has its public well, so that if you were to stretch out in a circuit all the empty spaces of this city, you would easily see a very wide square for building another great city next to it. And yet, we know that many of the main cities in Italy, situated on the mainland, where they did not lack land, scarcely have a public square.

There are, equally in all the Churches, Priests according to the convenience of the place, who diligently attend to their duties. And all the candles consumed by the clergy for any occasion are as white as snow, and the yellow ones are of no import. In addition to this, every Church has some income, some more, some less, and the Rectors of them are elected by citizens and townspeople who possess properties in the districts, through votes, and approved and confirmed by the Patriarch. In sum, the nature of their wealth and governance is such that every Church in Venice can rightly be called a small Bishopric.

Translator’s notes

The pilcrows ¶ mark paragraph breaks, which I have added for readability. They are not in the original, which, however, has some very long paragraphs.

1. The scuole grandi were six at the time of Francesco Sansovino. ↩︎
2. The charities provided dowries for deserving young women from poor families, so they could be properly married, and not having to resort to prostitution for survival. ↩︎
3. The Chiesa di San Pietro di Castello (Church of St Peter), on the Olivolo island, was the seat of the Bishop of Venice, and later the Patriarch of Venice, and therefore one of the most important churches of Venice. ↩︎
4. The gastaldo was the elected leader of a guild of artisans or merchants, often called a scuola or confraternità (brotherhood). ↩︎
5. The Provveditori alla Giustizia Vecchia oversaw the work of artisans in Venice, and controlled weights, measures, prices and the quality of goods.. ↩︎
6. The Serenissima Signoria were the Doge and the six Councillors of the Doge, appointed annually by the Maggior Consiglio, the closest the Republic of Venice had to an executive.. ↩︎

Original text

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• Inquisitori alle Scuole Grandi — Lessico Veneto

Related images

• The building of the Scuola della Passione in Campo dei Frari.
• Detail of the entrance, with the name on the lintel stone.
• Scuola della Passione — School of the Passion — Grevembroch 2-62

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