Scuola Grande di San Rocco is located in the small San Polo, and what turns it into a notable tourist sight of Venice is it stands out as a genuine repository of the best works of Tintoretto. All the significant sections of the building, more precisely, Sala Terra, Sala Superiore and Sala dell’Albergo, are all embellished with murals by Tintoretto, a spectacular array of dramatic scenes which depict the history of humankind from Fall to Redemption, as told by the Bible.

Tintoretto was commissioned to create this cycle of works in 1564, a task completed no sooner than 1587, given its tremendous amplitude. The idea of building this scuola, however, occurred about a century earlier, in 1478, following a plague epidemic which had taken over Venice several decades earlier. The construction of the building was commissioned to one of the Bon architects (either the father Bartolomeo, or the son Pietro) in 1515. They were succeeded by Sante Lombardo, Antonio Scarpagnino and, eventually, by Giangiacomo dei Grigi. Thus, the construction was completed in 1560.

Architecturally speaking, Scuola Grande di San Rocco is not very distinct from all the other notable confraternity houses in Venice. It has two floors between which the connection is made by a stair overtopped by a dome. The facades of the edifice, with their differently designed decorative elements, call forth the particular contribution of each of its architects.

The artistic patrimony of Scuola Grande di San Rocco is worth, on the other hand, all the attention. As said, Tintoretto is the chief contributor, with paintings embellishing the walls and the ceilings of the three above mentioned halls, and focusing on biblical scenes like the Slaughter of the Innocents and the Assumption of Mary (in Sala Terra), Jacob’s Ladder and the Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel (on the ceiling of Sala Superiore), the Last Supper and the Resurrection (on the walls of Sala Superiore), the Christ Before Pilate and the Crucifixion (in Sala dell’Albergo). All in all, the patrimony consists of a total number of almost 40 works by Tintorettom, though here and there visitors can admire masterpieces signed by the likes of Tiepolo, as well as a work by Titian.

Name:
Scuola Grande di San Rocco
Address:
3052, San Polo, 30125, Venice, Italy
Telephone:
0039 041 5234864
Fax:
0039 041 5242820
Website:
www.scuolagrandesanrocco.it
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