From 13 July to 23 November 2017, the Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Misericordia di Venezia becomes the place of christening of the Magister in order to celebrate the Master of the revolution of Western art: Magister Giotto, the first of a series of stories with a powerful scenographic impact on the Great Masters of Italian art.

14 minutes on foot from Santa Lucia Railway Station and 17 minutes from Piazza San Marco - in Sestiere di Cannaregio - the monumental building of the School, lit up by the water, dominates the north side of Venice, an area abounding in charm. The Scuola Grande della Misericordia - structured over two floors (10 and 12 metres high respectively) measuring a total of 28,000 cubic metres - is the second space in the city in size terms after the Palazzo Ducale.

The Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Misericordia is one of the seven Venetian Scuole Grandi, which came about in the Middle Ages as a secular phenomenon of devotion and solidarity, playing a fundamental role in the political, social and religious fabric of the Republic of Venice.

The original site, in Gothic style, dates back to 1308 and has been extended at various times over the centuries. In 1532 Florentine architect and sculptor Jacopo Sansovino began to build the large quadrangular building of the Scuola Nuova, influenced by classicism. The interiors, which were only completed after the architect’s death, abounded in works of art worthy of the importance of the Venetian Scuola Grande. Veronese, Zanchi, Lazzarini, Pellegrini, and - last but not least - Domenico Tintoretto, son of the famous Jacopo, were just some of the names who were responsible for the decorations of a building that still today maintains the charm and prestige with which it was conceived. There are some drawings attributed to Palladio that are thought to represent the Scuola Grande della Misericordia.

Inaugurated in 1583, work on the School continued for around two hundred years, but it was abandoned with the end of La Serenissima. It had various uses in the 19th century: military headquarters, warehouse, state archive. From 1914, for over seventy years, it became a centre for Venetian sport, particularly basketball, run by the Reyer sports company. In 1991 the Municipality assigned the restoration project, which, with different phases, concluded with its inauguration in April 2016.

Thanks to project financing and the collaboration between the Municipality of Venice and the company SMV, today the School is a technologically advanced multi-purpose cultural centre that hosts exhibitions, events and conferences, thus resuming its original function, though structured in a contemporary vein.

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