Scuola San Giorgio degli Schiavoni
Photo by F.Bucher, 19.11.05: Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Germany Licence
The Scuola di San Giorgio
degli Schiavoni is located in the Castello district on the Rio della
Pieta, a short distance from its junction with the Canale di San Marco.
The word schiavoni is a corruption of slavoni, meaning slavs. The scuola
was founded in 1451 by Slav merchants from Dalmatia whose homeland
formed part of the Venetian empire. They wished to create a guild
dedicated to the promotion of their own cultural and commercial
interests.
The facade of the scuola was designed by Giovanni de Zan. A bas-relief
of Saint George and the Dragon by Pietro da Salò (1551) is located above
the doorway beneath an older 14th century sculpture of the Virgin Mary
flanked by Saint John the Baptist and Saint Catherine.
The Istrian stone facing, stained by age and pollution, was recently
cleansed. The exterior decorations and reliefs were restored at the same
time. The facade now represents a fine example of grand classicism on a
modest scale.
The scuola is famous for its cycle of nine early 16th century paintings
by Vittore Carpaccio, a Venetian artist of Dalmatian ancestry. These
depict scenes from the lives of Saint Jerome, Saint Tryphon and Saint
George.
The reception hall is decorated by three huge canvasses.
The first shows the reaction of Saint George as he learns of the plight
of a beautiful virgin princess who is about to be devoured by an evil
dragon. The second depicts Saint George as a witness to the baptism of
the girl’s parents who must convert to Christianity before he will save
their daughter, and the third shows Saint George slaying the dragon.
The other friezes include pictures of Saint Tryphone driving evil
spirits from the daughter of a Roman Emperor; Saint Jerome removing a
thorn from the paw of a lion; and Saint Augustine experiencing a vision
of the death of Saint Jerome.
The vision of Saint Augustine by Vittore Carpaccio (1502), Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni
Saint George slaying the dragon by Vittore Carpaccio (1502-1507) , Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni
Carpaccio mixes horror with humour. Saint Augustine’s fear and astonishment is mirrored by the wide-eyed reaction of his pet dog. Saint George, however, rides with noble determination past the grim remains of the dragon's previous victims.
A collection of old
fraternity robes and some portraits of distinguished past members are
also displayed.
The scuola still functions as a guild and so is often closed for
official business, particularly during the afternoon.
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