The Scuole Grandi — the Great Schools — were confraternities and charities which thanks to numerous donations and bequeathments developed into very wealthy and powerful institutions.

The tell-tale coat of arms of the Scuole Grandi are still visible on a great many Venetian buildings which they owned.

The Consiglio di Dieci (Council of Ten) bestowed the status of Scuola Grande, initially on four schools in 1467, and later on five others.

It is common to talk about the six Scuole Grandi of Venice. However the list changed over time, and and the end of the republic there were nine Great Schools.

The first Scuole grandi

The first four Scuole Grandi were all founded around 1260-61 by confraternities of flagellants.

In 1467 the Consiglio dei Dieci (Council of Ten) formally recognised them as Scuole Grandi.

• The Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Carità, founded in 1260. It was suppressed in 1806 during the French domination. The building dates from 1344, and is now the entrance, ticket office and bookshop of the Galleria dell’Accademia.
• The Scuola Grande di San Marco, founded in 1261, initially in the area of Santa Croce. The school moved to Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo in 1437, and erected the current building after a fire in 1485. It was suppressed in 1807 under the French domination. The building is now the entrance of the Ospedale Civile. The ULSS3 — the public healthcare provider for Venice — founded a modern Scuola di San Marco as a medical museum in 2015.
• The Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, founded in 1261. The building is from the 1340s. The school was suppressed in 1806, under the French domination, but it was reconstituted in 1857. The Pope recognised it as an Arch-confraternity in 1931.
• The Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Misericordia or di Valverde, was also founded in 1260 by flagellants. There are two buildings, the first, smaller edifice from 1310, and the second from the early 1500s. It was suppressed in 1806 under the French Domination. The building has been used as a sports facility, and is now in concession to the businessman Luigi Brugnaro, also Mayor of Venice.

Later Scuole Grandi

After the first four Scuole Grandi, the Council of Ten occasionally bestowed the title on other schools, bringing the number up to nine in the late 1700s.

• The Scuola Grande di San Rocco was founded in 1478, and was elevated to Scuola Grande in 1489. The patron saint San Rocco (St Roch) protected from the plague, which explains the very quick rise in membership and status of the school. The current building is from the first half of the 1500s. The school was suppressed like the others in 1806, under the French dominion, but the decree was revoked. The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is the only of the Great Schools which still exists in its original form, and which still retains a substantial part of its patrimony.
• The Scuola Grande di San Teodoro was founded in 1258, before the other great schools, but it was elevated to Scuola Grande only in 1552. However, since San Teodoro was the patron saint of Venice before San Marco, the Scuola di San Teodoro claimed an origin in the 700s. The current building is from the early 1600s. The school was suppressed in 1807, during the French domination, but in 1960 it was reconstituted by initiative of the Patriarch. It reacquired the building in 1995.
• The Scuola Grande di San Fantin or dei Picai was elevated to Scuola Grande in 1687. The date of foundation is unknown. The building is from the late 1500s, and now houses the Ateneo Veneto. The school was suppressed with the others during the French domination 1805-15.
• The Scuola Grande del Rosario, founded in 1575, elevated to Scuola Grande in 1765. It resided in the Basilica dei SS Giovanni e Paolo. The chapel of the Rosario was completely destroyed by fire in 1867.
• The Scuola Grande dei Carmini was founded in 1594 and elevated to Scuola Grande in 1767 by the Consiglio dei Dieci. The Scuola Grande dei Carmini was suppressed in 1806, reconstituted immediately after, and suppressed again in 1807. The school was reconstituted again in 1853, during the Austrian domination.

Related articles

• State institutions of the Republic of Venice for the Inquisitori sopra le Scuole Grandi and the Consiglio dei Dieci.
• Scuole Minori
• A Venetian Law

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