The hospital for the incurable in Venice is one of the places you can visit during your stay in the city.
Today, I'm going to tell you more about this place and look back at the most important points in its history.
Here we go!
The Hospital for the Incurable in Venice: article summary
The hospital for incurables in Venice: in brief
The Ospedale degli Incurabili (Hospital for the Incurables), a grand palace in Venice, is located in the district of Dorsoduroon the Fondamenta delle Zattere.
Today, the palace is home to the Venice Academy of Fine Arts (Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia).
At the end of the 15th century, hospitals were built in many Italian towns for people suffering from syphilis, then considered incurable.
In 1517, noblewomen Maria Malipiero and Marina Grimani set up a small refuge in Venice for three women suffering from this new disease.
The Venetian hospital was founded in 1522 on the idea of Gaetano Thiene. In 1531, Girolamo Emiliani took over management of the hospital.
Initially, the hospital buildings were made of wood. At the end of the 16th century, the hospital is renovated and rebuilt in brick.
A tumultuous history
The institution was hit by a financial crisis in 1755, which was followed by the crisis of all Venetian hospitals in 1775.
In 1782, by decree of the Senate, the Ospedale degli Incurabili was transferred to a new administration. In 1807, it became the city's largest civic hospital.
From February 1938 onwards, the complex was used as a re-education center for minors, to which, after the Second World War, a juvenile court was added, both closed in 1977.
In 1997, the two institutions were physically separated. On one side, the Galerie de l'Académie (Gallerie dell'Accademia) and the Venice Academy of Fine Arts. The latter was later transferred to the former Hospital of the Incurables.
The Hospital for the Incurable in Venice: unique architecture
The hospital for incurables in Venice has a large quadrilateral structure developed around a large courtyard.
The facade overlooking the Canal de la Giudecca is austere and symmetrical, with very little decoration.
The first floor, clad in ashlar, features a large portal in the center, with the upper frame supported by scrolled modillions.
Towards the sides, large pairs of windows overlap on both floors of the building. Further along, towards the sides of the building, were two smaller vaulted portals, now walled in.
Inside is a large Renaissance cloister, typical of the Venice of the Middle Ages. the second half of the 16th century.
The chosen location for the Venice Academy of Fine Arts
The institution was founded on September 24, 1750 by the will of the Venetian Senate as the Venetian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. The first director was Gianbattista Piazzetta, the first president Giovanni Battista Tiepolo flanked by advisors Gianbattista Pittoni and Giovanni Maria Morlaiter.
In 1758, Gianbattista Pittoni succeeded Tiepolo as president, and continued to teach at the Venice Academy until his death in 1767, influencing the next generation of Venetian painters.
There were four main courses: Figure, Portrait, Landscape and Sculpture. The masters were chosen year after year from among the thirty-six teachers belonging to the Collège académique.
In 1768, the teaching of perspective and architecture was also introduced. The Venetian Academy was also immediately involved in the restoration of works of art, particularly paintings.
In 1807, reformed as the "Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts", it moved from the first seat to the second. from the Fonteghetto della Farina to the premises of the former convent and school of Santa Maria della Carità.
How to get to the Hospital for the Incurable in Venice
Venice's Hospital for the Incurable is about a 2-kilometer walk from the city center. Santa Lucia station. The vaporetto the nearest is Spirito Santo, approximately 100 metres away, on line 6.
During your Venice trip, you can discover this exceptional place. You might even enjoy temporary exhibitions sometimes held at the Académie des Beaux-Arts.
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