Scuola Grande di San Marco
Picture by Adriano 19.03.05, published under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2 or later
The Scuola Grande di San
Marco is located in the Campo di Santi Giovanni e Paolo in the Castello
district, a short distance from the Fondamente Nuove.
The Scuola was founded in 1260 for religious and humanitarian purposes.
It was one of the six large confraternities which exerted considerable
social and political influence during the days of the Venetian Republic.
Many of its members were from the closed ranks of the nobility.
The Scuola was initially located on the site of the nearby church of
Santa Croce. It was transferred to its present site in 1437. After the
original Gothic structure was damaged by fire in 1485, the architect
Pietro Lombardo was commissioned to redesign its facade.
Lombardo divided the facade into two parts, each with its own entrance
portal, and introduced a series of eye-catching columns, windows and
friezes. He also created a pattern of richly-decorated niches and
pilasters to which he added a variety of marble and polychrome statues.
Many of the friezes were carved by Tullio Lombardo, the architect's son.
The two located on either side of the right portal, which depict scenes
from the life of Saint Mark, are generally considered to be the most
impressive.
Recent discoveries suggest that the façade was once gilded. An
examination of the red pigment stains on the exterior has revealed them
to be the remnants of a primer typically used in combination with gold
leaf.
Pietro Lombardo was replaced by another architect, Mauro Codussi, in
1491. There appears to be no explanation for this other than that
Codussi had friends in high places.
Although Codussi supervised the completion of the upper part of the
facade, he did little more than follow his predecessor’s designs. The
Lombardo workshop continued to provide many of the decorations including
the crowning lunettes and the marble lions at the entrance.
Picture by Adriano 19.03.05, published under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2 or later
Codussi did however add a
spectacular interior staircase which was dismantled after the Scuola was
closed by Napoleon. This act of vandalism was executed for the sole
purpose of merging the Scuola with a neighbouring Dominican convent and
the adjoining church of San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti. The resulting
structure has housed the city's municipal hospital since 1819.
The Scuola is located in the same square as the monumental Gothic church
of Santi Giovanni and Paolo, and the magnificent equestrian statue of
Bartolomeo Colleoni by Andrea del Verrocchio.
Canaletto: View of the
Scuola, the Santi Giovanni e Paolo and the statue of Colleoni
Statue of Colleoni by Verrocchio: Picture by Giovanni Dall'Orto, published under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Licence
Colleoni, a Venetian
general who died in 1475, left a legacy to the city for the purpose of
funding the Turkish wars on the condition that a statue be erected in
his honour outside San Marco.
Although it was perfectly obvious that Colleoni wished his statue to be
placed outside the Basilica di San Marco, the authorities decided that
such an honour would be inappropriate. They therefore deliberately
misinterpreted his legacy and placed the statue outside the Scuola
Grande di San Marco.
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