Great School of San Rocco

The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is one of the most important confraternities in Venice and is located in the San Polo district, near the Frari. It was founded in 1478 as a group of people (not religious figures, but citizens) who carried out charitable works, such as helping the sick and the poor.

In a short time, it became extremely important, also because it housed the relics of Saint Roch, who was considered the protector against the plague. This greatly increased both its fame and the wealth of the confraternity.

At first they had small headquarters, but later they decided to build a large and prestigious building: construction began in 1517 and continued for several decades.

Inside, it is organized with large halls arranged one above the other, used for meetings, ceremonies, and important decisions of the confraternity.

However, the most famous aspect is the art: the interior is almost entirely covered with paintings by Tintoretto, who decorated much of the building with religious scenes. For this reason, many even call it the “Sistine Chapel of Venice.”

Compared to other Venetian scuole, it is one of the few that survived even after Napoleon, so it still exists today.

Today it can be visited and is considered almost like a museum, as well as a very important historic building.