{{Infobox
|name = Convents
|bodystyle =
|title = Convents
|titlestyle =

|image = [[File:convents_map_final.png|400px|Location of all convents in the city of Venice (excluding the Lagoon Islands)]]
|imagestyle =
|caption = Convents of Venice
|captionstyle =
|headerstyle = background:#ccf;
|labelstyle = background:#ddf;
|datastyle =

|header1 =

|label1=Total Number of Convents
|data1=59
|label2=Total Number in [[Cannaregio]]
|data2=9
|label3=Total Number in [[Castello]]
|data3=19
|label4=Total Number in [[Dorsoduro]]
|data4=13
|label5=Total Number in [[Guidecca]]
|data5=6
|label6=Total Number in [[San Marco]]
|data6=6
|label7=Total Number in [[San Polo]]
|data7=1
|label8=Total Number in [[Santa Croce]]
|data8=3
|label13=Active Convents
|data13=8
|belowstyle = background:#ddf;
|below =
}}

''This page is an overview of all the convents in Venice. For a typical convent, see [[Convent]] or the Wikipedia page [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convent | Convent].''

Convents, or ''conventi'' in Italian, often accompanied the churches located on the islands of the lagoon. There are 59 known convents on located in Venice, which can be seen in the map to the right. Only eight of these convents still actively house monastic orders. Today, 51 of these convents have been secularized and reused, leaving only 8 convents as practicing monastic orders.

==History==

[[File:GIOV.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Convent of Saint Giovanni e Paolo]]]]

As the city of Venice developed and developed, the size of the convents also increased. As staples in the community, providing care for the sick and a gathering place for citizens, affluent families were apt to send their children to live in monastic orders. However, civilians began to abuse the religious system, primarily sending daughters to join nunneries to avoid paying a dowry to a prospective husband and his family. Although this provided an influx of nuns, this population did not consist of individuals who would regularly be admitted to the nunneries, which reflected poorly on the churches and monastic orders. In response to this misuse of convents, in 1810, Napoleon demolished 6 convents in Venice and reused others as army barracks and prisons. Although drastic, the invasion of convents helped return respect and power to the convents, replacing irresponsible unfit nuns, with devout ones.

==Adaptive Reuse==

[[File:reuse_chart.jpg|thumb|small|The Adaptive Reuse of Convents]]
[[File:FRAR.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Convent of the Frari]]]]

Due to the population shift and decline in religious importance within Venice many convents have been renovated and reused for other purposes to accommodate the needs of the city. As the city adapts to host more tourists, most of the convents in Venice have been renovated to be used as buildings such as hotels, museums and government buildings, and schools among many other uses. Only 14% of convents in Venice are actually still used convents, which can be seen in the chart to the right. This chart displays the adaptive reuse of the 59 known convents in Venice.

The simple layout of convents makes reuse and renovation fairly easy. Convents generally have fairly large and open rooms on the first floor with much smaller and larger quantity of rooms on the upper levels. This arrangement is ideal for modern uses of buildings such as hospitals, museums, and prisons. The structural conversion of these rooms is fairly simple, however it is more difficult to update utilities such as electricity and plumbing while still maintaining the historic and cultural integrity of the building.

Even the largest convents in the city have been renovated for other purposes. The [[Convent of Saint Giovanni e Paolo]], which once housed the Dominican order, is now used as the main hospital in Venice, located in Cannaregio. The convent can be seen in the picture above. Furthermore, the [[Convent of the Frari]] (pictured to the right) is now used the state archive, replacing the former Franciscan order.

==Map==

This map shows the location of all the convents of Venice.

<display_map height=600 zoom=14 centre=45.440155,12.345403>
45.4473,12.32965|[[Convent of San Alvise]]
45.43242,12.35817|[[Convent of Santa Anna]]
45.43462,12.34094|[[Convent of Santa Apollonia]]
45.44277,12.33904|[[Convent of Gesuiti]]
45.43361,12.34844|[[Convent of the Ca' di Dio]]
45.43109,12.32811|[[Convent of Santa Maria della Carita]]
45.43319,12.32181|[[Convent of Santa Maria del Carmine]]
45.4376,12.34987|[[Convent della Celestia]]
45.44055,12.31681|[[Convent of Santa Chiara]]
45.42587,12.3213|[[Convent di Convertite]]
45.42538,12.32341|[[Convent of Santa Cosmo]]
45.42749,12.36559|[[Convent of Sant Elena]]
45.43681,12.33816|[[Convent de la Fava]]
45.43734,12.32593|[[Convent of the Frari]]
45.43278,12.33286|[[Convent of Santa Maria del Giglio]]
45.44484,12.32032|[[Convent of Santa Giobbe]]
45.44027,12.32407|[[Convent of Santi Giovanni e Paolo]]
45.44042,12.34233|[[Convent of San Girolamo]]
45.44582,12.32515|[[Convent of Santa Giustina]]
45.43093,112.33397|[[Convent of San Gregorio]]
45.43045,12.35774|[[Convent of Sant'Isepo]]
45.42454,12.33513|[[Convent delle Croce]]
45.43425,12.34601|[[Convent della Pieta Santa Maria della Visitazione]]
45.43784,12.34377|[[Convent of San Giovanni in Laterno]]
45.44706,12.31949|[[Convent of Santa Maria delle Penitenti]]
45.43684,12.3455|[[Convent of San Lorenzo]]
45.43543,12.31747|[[Convent of Santa Maria Maggiore]]
45.43666,12.34607|[[Convent of San Giovanni in Malta]]
45.42642,12.36267|[[Convent delle Suore Mantellate]]
45.43346,12.33175|[[Convent of San Maurizio]]
45.44167,12.34275|[[Convent di Mendicanti]]
45.42989,12.3339|[[Convent di Catecumeni]]
45.43927,12.33938|[[Convent of Santa Maria dei Miracoli]]
45.43582,12.34884|[[Convent of the Muneghette]]
45.43181,12.3233|[[Convent of Ognisanti]]
45.44641,12.33281|[[Convent of Madonna dell'Orto]]
45.43292,12.35437|[[Convent of F. da Paula]]
45.43943,12.34537|[[Convent of Santa Maria del Pianto]]
45.43426,12.35961|[[Convent of San Pietro]]
45.42444,12.33267|[[Convent of the Redentore]]
45.44367,12.33691|[[Convent of Santa Caterina]]
45.43198,12.32418|[[Convent of the Eremitane]]
45.43201,12.32425|[[Convent of the Gesuati]]
45.43063,12.33538|[[Seminary di Salute]]
45.43641,12.33637|[[Convent of San Salvador]]
45.44187,12.32181|[[Convent of Saint Maria di Nazareth Scalzi]]
45.43183,12.32025|[[Convent of San Sebastiano]]
45.42898,12.34238|[[Convent of San Giorgio Maggiore]]
45.4289,12.33046|[[Convent of Spirito Santo]]
45.43381,12.33159|[[Convent of San Stefano]]
45.43515,12.3403|[[Convent of San Teodoro]]
45.43336,12.31604|[[Convent of Santa Teresa]]
45.43786,12.3228|[[Convent of San Nicola di Tolentino]]
45.42538,12.33064|[[Convent of SS. Trinita]]
45.43861,12.34815|[[Convent of San Francesco de la Vigna]]
45.42954,12.32687|[[Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione]]
45.42765,12.34088|[[Convent of]]
45.43436,12.34369|[[Convent of San Zaccaria]]
45.42679,12.33922|[[Convent of Santa Maria della Presentazione]]
</display_map>

==See Also==

{{Navbox
|name = Venetian Convents navbox
|title = Convents of Venice
|group1 = Cannaregio
|list1 = [[Convent of San Alvise | Convent of San Alvise]]{{w}}[[Convent of Gesuiti | Convent of Gesuiti]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Giobbe | Convent of Santa Giobbe]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Girolamo | Convent of San Girolamo]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria delle Penitenti | Convent of Santa Maria delle Penitenti]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria dei Miracoli | Convent of Santa Maria dei Miracoli]]{{w}}[[Convent of Madonna dell'Orto | Convent of Madonna dell’Orto]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Caterina | Convent of Santa Caterina]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria di Nazareth Scalzi | Convent of Santa Maria Nazareth di Scalzi]]
|group2 = Castello
|list2 = [[Convent of Santa Anna | Convent of Santa Anna]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Apollonia | Convent of Santa Apollonia]]{{w}}[[Convent of the Ca' di Dio | Convent of the Ca' di Dio]]{{w}}[[Convent della Celestia | Convent della Celestia]]{{w}}[[Convent of Sant Elena | Convent of Sant Elena]]{{w}}[[Convent de la Fava | Convent de la Fava]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santi Giovanni e Paolo | Convent of Santi Giovanni e Paolo]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Giustina | Convent of Santa Giustina]]{{w}}[[Convent of Sant'Isepo | Convent of Sant'Isepo]]{{w}}[[Convent of Pieta Santa Maria della Visitazione | Convent of Pieta Santa Maria della Visitazione]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Giovanni in Laterno | Convent of San Giovanni in Laterno]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Lorenzo | Convent of San Lorenzo]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Giovanni in Malta | Convent of San Giovanni in Malta]]{{w}}[[Convent delle Suore Mantellate | Convent delle Suore Mantellate]]{{w}}[[Convent di Mendicanti | Convent di Mendicanti]]{{w}}[[Convent of F. da Paula | Convent of F. da Paula]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria del Pianto | Convent of Santa Maria del Pianto]]{{w}}[[Convent of the Muneghette | Convent of the Muneghette]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Pietro | Convent of San Pietro]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Francesco de la Vigna | Convent of San Francesco de la Vigna]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Zaccaria | Convent of San Zaccaria]]
|group3 = Dorsoduro
|list3 = [[Convent of Santa Maria della Carita | Convent of Santa Maria della Carita]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria del Carmine | Convent of Santa Maria del Carmine]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Gregorio | Convent of San Gregorio]]{{w}}[[Convent di Catecumeni | Convent di Catecumeni]]{{w}}[[Convent of the Eremitane | Convent of the Eremitane]]{{w}}[[Seminary di Salute | Seminary di Salute]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Sebastiano | Convent of San Sebastiano]]{{w}}[[Convent of Spirito Santo | Convent of Spirito Santo]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Teresa | Convent of Santa Teresa]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione | Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione | Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione]]
|group4 = Guidecca
|list4 = [[Convent di Convertite | convent di Convertite]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Cosmo | Convent of Santa Cosmo]]{{w}}[[Convent della Croce | Convent della Croce]]{{w}}[[Convent of the Redentore | Convent of Redentore]]{{w}}[[Convent of SS. Trinita | Convent of SS. Trinita]]{{w}}[[Convent of | Convent of]]
|group5 = San Marco
|list5 = [[Convent of San Salvador | Convent of San Salvador]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Maurizio | Convent of San Maurizio]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Giorgio Maggiore | Convent of San Giorgio Maggiore]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Stefano | Convent of San Stefano]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Teodoro | Convent of San Teodoro]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria del Giglio | Convent of Santa Maria del Giglio]]
|group6 = San Polo
|list6 = [[Convent of the Frari | Convent of the Frari]]
|group7 = Santa Croce
|list7 = [[Convent of Santa Chiara | Convent of Santa Chiara]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria Maggiore | Convent of Santa Maggiore]]{{w}}[[Convent of San Nicola di Tolentino | Convent of San Nicola di Tolentino]]
}}

==References==

Hoey, Kahan, Marchetti, Mazza. 2003. ''Convents, Churches and Palaces: Transformation of Historic Buildings and the Impact of Venices Neighborhoods''
Howard, D., and S. Quill. 2002. The Architectural History of Venice: Yale University Press.

File:Convents map final.png

2013-12-12T01:50:40Z

Djheinricher:

File:Bell Tower Map.png

2013-12-12T01:48:22Z

Djheinricher: Djheinricher uploaded a new version of "File:Bell Tower Map.png"

Bell towers

2013-12-12T01:44:51Z

Djheinricher:

2013-11-06T15:16:51Z

Djheinricher: