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''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 | ''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 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. | |||
Convents, or ''conventi'' in Italian, often accompanied the churches located on the islands of the lagoon. There are 59 known convents | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
[[File:GIOV.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Former Convent of Santi Giovanni e Paolo]]]] | |||
[[File:GIOV.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Convent of | As the city of Venice expanded 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. | ||
As the city of Venice | |||
==Adaptive Reuse== | ==Adaptive Reuse== | ||
[[File:reuse_chart.jpg|thumb|small|The Adaptive Reuse of Convents]] | [[File:reuse_chart.jpg|thumb|small|The Adaptive Reuse of Convents]] [[File:FRAR.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Former 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. | ||
[[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. | 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 | Even the largest convents in the city have been renovated for other purposes. The [[Former Convent of Santi 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== | ==Map== | ||
This map shows the location of all the convents of Venice. | This map shows the location of all the convents of Venice. | ||
<display_map height=600 zoom=14 centre=45.440155,12.345403> | <display_map height=600 zoom=14 centre=45.440155,12.345403> | ||
45.4473,12.32965|[[Convent of San Alvise]] | 45.4473,12.32965|[[Former Convent of San Alvise]] | ||
45.43242,12.35817|[[Convent of Santa Anna]] | 45.43242,12.35817|[[Former Convent of Santa Anna]] | ||
45.43462,12.34094|[[Convent of Santa Apollonia]] | 45.43462,12.34094|[[Convent of Santa Apollonia]] | ||
45.44277,12.33904|[[Convent of Gesuiti]] | 45.44277,12.33904|[[Former Convent of Gesuiti]] | ||
45.43361,12.34844|[[Convent of the Ca' di Dio]] | 45.43361,12.34844|[[Former Convent of the Ca' di Dio]] | ||
45.43109,12.32811|[[Convent of Santa Maria della Carita]] | 45.43109,12.32811|[[Former Convent of Santa Maria della Carita]] | ||
45.43319,12.32181|[[Convent of Santa Maria del Carmine]] | 45.43319,12.32181|[[Former Convent of Santa Maria del Carmine]] | ||
45.4376,12.34987|[[Convent della Celestia]] | 45.4376,12.34987|[[Former Convent della Celestia]] | ||
45.44055,12.31681|[[Convent of Santa Chiara]] | 45.44055,12.31681|[[Former Convent of Santa Chiara]] | ||
45.42587,12.3213|[[Convent di Convertite]] | 45.42587,12.3213|[[Former Convent di Convertite]] | ||
45.42538,12.32341|[[Convent of Santa Cosmo]] | 45.42538,12.32341|[[Former Convent of Santa Cosmo]] | ||
45.42749,12.36559|[[Convent of Sant Elena]] | 45.42749,12.36559|[[Convent of Sant Elena]] | ||
45.43681,12.33816|[[Convent de la Fava]] | 45.43681,12.33816|[[Former Convent de la Fava]] | ||
45.43734,12.32593|[[Convent of the Frari]] | 45.43734,12.32593|[[Former Convent of the Frari]] | ||
45.43278,12.33286|[[Convent of Santa Maria del Giglio]] | 45.43278,12.33286|[[Former Convent of Santa Maria del Giglio]] | ||
45.44484,12.32032|[[Convent of Santa Giobbe]] | 45.44484,12.32032|[[Former Convent of Santa Giobbe]] | ||
45.44027,12. | 45.44027,12.34207|[[Former Convent of Santi Giovanni e Paolo]] | ||
45.44042,12.34233|[[Convent of San Girolamo]] | 45.44042,12.34233|[[Former Convent of San Girolamo]] | ||
45.44582,12.32515|[[Convent of Santa Giustina]] | 45.44582,12.32515|[[Convent of Santa Giustina]] | ||
45.43093, | 45.43093,12.33397|[[Former Convent of San Gregorio]] | ||
45.43045,12.35774|[[Convent of Sant'Isepo]] | 45.43045,12.35774|[[Former Convent of Sant'Isepo]] | ||
45.42454,12.33513|[[Convent delle Croce]] | 45.42454,12.33513|[[Former Convent delle Croce]] | ||
45.43425,12.34601|[[Convent della Pieta Santa Maria della Visitazione]] | 45.43425,12.34601|[[Former Convent della Pieta Santa Maria della Visitazione]] | ||
45.43784,12.34377|[[Convent of San Giovanni in Laterno]] | 45.43784,12.34377|[[Former Convent of San Giovanni in Laterno]] | ||
45.44706,12.31949|[[Convent of Santa Maria delle Penitenti]] | 45.44706,12.31949|[[Former Convent of Santa Maria delle Penitenti]] | ||
45.43684,12.3455|[[Convent of San Lorenzo]] | 45.43684,12.3455|[[Former Convent of San Lorenzo]] | ||
45.43543,12.31747|[[Convent of Santa Maria Maggiore]] | 45.43543,12.31747|[[Former Convent of Santa Maria Maggiore]] | ||
45.43666,12.34607|[[Convent of San Giovanni in Malta]] | 45.43666,12.34607|[[Former Convent of San Giovanni in Malta]] | ||
45.42642,12.36267|[[Convent delle Suore Mantellate]] | 45.42642,12.36267|[[Former Convent delle Suore Mantellate]] | ||
45.43346,12.33175|[[Convent of San Maurizio]] | 45.43346,12.33175|[[Convent of San Maurizio]] | ||
45.44167,12.34275|[[Convent di Mendicanti]] | 45.44167,12.34275|[[Former Convent di Mendicanti]] | ||
45.42989,12.3339|[[Convent di Catecumeni]] | 45.42989,12.3339|[[Former Convent di Catecumeni]] | ||
45.43927,12.33938|[[Convent of Santa Maria dei Miracoli]] | 45.43927,12.33938|[[Former Convent of Santa Maria dei Miracoli]] | ||
45.43582,12.34884|[[Convent of the Muneghette]] | 45.43582,12.34884|[[Former Convent of the Muneghette]] | ||
45.43181,12.3233|[[Convent of Ognisanti]] | 45.43181,12.3233|[[Former Convent of Ognisanti]] | ||
45.44641,12.33281|[[Convent of Madonna dell'Orto]] | 45.44641,12.33281|[[Former Convent of Madonna dell'Orto]] | ||
45.43292,12.35437|[[Convent of F. da Paula]] | 45.43292,12.35437|[[Former Convent of F. da Paula]] | ||
45.43943,12.34537|[[Convent of Santa Maria del Pianto]] | 45.43943,12.34537|[[Former Convent of Santa Maria del Pianto]] | ||
45.43426,12.35961|[[Convent of San Pietro]] | 45.43426,12.35961|[[Former Convent of San Pietro]] | ||
45.42444,12.33267|[[Convent of the Redentore]] | 45.42444,12.33267|[[Convent of the Redentore]] | ||
45.44367,12.33691|[[Convent of Santa Caterina]] | 45.44367,12.33691|[[Former Convent of Santa Caterina]] | ||
45.43198,12.32418|[[Convent of the Eremitane]] | 45.43198,12.32418|[[Former Convent of the Eremitane]] | ||
45.43201,12.32425|[[Convent of the Gesuati]] | 45.43201,12.32425|[[Former Convent of the Gesuati]] | ||
45.43063,12.33538|[[Seminary di Salute]] | 45.43063,12.33538|[[Former Seminary di Salute]] | ||
45.43641,12.33637|[[Convent of San Salvador]] | 45.43641,12.33637|[[Former Convent of San Salvador]] | ||
45.44187,12.32181|[[Convent of | 45.44187,12.32181|[[Former Convent of Santa Maria di Nazareth di Scalzi]] | ||
45.43183,12.32025|[[Convent of San Sebastiano]] | 45.43183,12.32025|[[Former Convent of San Sebastiano]] | ||
45.42898,12.34238|[[Convent of San Giorgio Maggiore]] | 45.42898,12.34238|[[Convent of San Giorgio Maggiore]] | ||
45.4289,12.33046|[[Convent of Spirito Santo]] | 45.4289,12.33046|[[Former Convent of Spirito Santo]] | ||
45.43381,12.33159|[[Convent of San Stefano]] | 45.43381,12.33159|[[Former Convent of San Stefano]] | ||
45.43515,12.3403|[[Convent of San Teodoro]] | 45.43515,12.3403|[[Former Convent of San Teodoro]] | ||
45.43336,12.31604|[[Convent of Santa Teresa]] | 45.43336,12.31604|[[Former Convent of Santa Teresa]] | ||
45.43786,12.3228|[[Convent of San Nicola di Tolentino]] | 45.43786,12.3228|[[Former Convent of San Nicola di Tolentino]] | ||
45.42538,12.33064|[[Convent of SS. Trinita]] | 45.42538,12.33064|[[Former Convent of SS. Trinita]] | ||
45.43861,12.34815|[[Convent of San Francesco de la Vigna]] | 45.43861,12.34815|[[Former Convent of San Francesco de la Vigna]] | ||
45.42954,12.32687|[[Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione]] | 45.42954,12.32687|[[Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione]] | ||
45.42765,12.34088|[[Convent of]] | 45.42765,12.34088|[[Convent of Giovanni Batista]] | ||
45.43436,12.34369|[[Convent of San Zaccaria]] | 45.43436,12.34369|[[Convent of San Zaccaria]] | ||
45.42679,12.33922|[[Convent of Santa Maria della Presentazione]] | 45.42679,12.33922|[[Former Convent of Santa Maria della Presentazione]] | ||
</display_map> | </display_map> | ||
==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
{{Navbox | {{Navbox | ||
|name = Venetian Convents navbox | |name = Venetian Convents navbox | ||
|title = Convents of Venice | |title = Convents of Venice | ||
|group1 = Cannaregio | |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]] | |list1 = [[Former Convent of San Alvise | Former Convent of San Alvise]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Gesuiti | Former Convent of Gesuiti]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Giobbe | Former Convent of Santa Giobbe]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Girolamo | Former Convent of San Girolamo]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Maria delle Penitenti | Former Convent of Santa Maria delle Penitenti]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Maria dei Miracoli | Former Convent of Santa Maria dei Miracoli]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Madonna dell'Orto | Former Convent of Madonna dell’Orto]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Caterina | Former Convent of Santa Caterina]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Maria di Nazareth di Scalzi | Former Convent of Santa Maria di Nazareth di Scalzi]] | ||
|group2 = Castello | |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]] | |list2 = [[Former Convent of Santa Anna | Former Convent of Santa Anna]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Apollonia | Convent of Santa Apollonia]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of the Ca' di Dio | Former Convent of the Ca' di Dio]]{{w}}[[Former Convent della Celestia | Former Convent della Celestia]]{{w}}[[Convent of Sant Elena | Convent of Sant Elena]]{{w}}[[Former Convent de la Fava | Former Convent de la Fava]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santi Giovanni e Paolo | Former Convent of Santi Giovanni e Paolo]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Giustina | Convent of Santa Giustina]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Sant'Isepo | Former Convent of Sant'Isepo]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Pieta Santa Maria della Visitazione | Former Convent of Pieta Santa Maria della Visitazione]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Giovanni in Laterno | Former Convent of San Giovanni in Laterno]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Lorenzo | Former Convent of San Lorenzo]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Giovanni in Malta | Former Convent of San Giovanni in Malta]]{{w}}[[Former Convent delle Suore Mantellate | Former Convent delle Suore Mantellate]]{{w}}[[Former Convent di Mendicanti | Former Convent di Mendicanti]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of F. da Paula | Former Convent of F. da Paula]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Maria del Pianto | Former Convent of Santa Maria del Pianto]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of the Muneghette | Former Convent of the Muneghette]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Pietro | Former Convent of San Pietro]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Francesco de la Vigna | Former Convent of San Francesco de la Vigna]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Zaccaria | Former Convent of San Zaccaria]] | ||
|group3 = Dorsoduro | |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 | |list3 = [[Former Convent of Santa Maria della Carita | Former Convent of Santa Maria della Carita]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Maria del Carmine | Former Convent of Santa Maria del Carmine]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Gregorio | Former Convent of San Gregorio]]{{w}}[[Former Convent di Catecumeni | Former Convent di Catecumeni]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of the Eremitane | Former Convent of the Eremitane]]{{w}}[[Former Seminary di Salute | Former Seminary di Salute]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Sebastiano | Former Convent of San Sebastiano]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Spirito Santo | Former Convent of Spirito Santo]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Teresa | Former Convent of Santa Teresa]]{{w}}[[Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione | Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione]] | ||
|group4 = | |group4 = Giudecca | ||
|list4 = [[Convent di Convertite | | |list4 = [[Former Convent di Convertite | Former Convent di Convertite]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Cosmo | Former Convent of Santa Cosmo]]{{w}}[[ Former Convent della Croce | Former Convent della Croce]]{{w}}[[Convent of the Redentore | Convent of Redentore]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of SS. Trinita | Former Convent of SS. Trinita]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Giovanni Batista | Former Convent of San Giovanni Batista]] | ||
|group5 = San Marco | |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]] | |list5 = [[Former Convent of San Salvador | Former 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}}[[Former Convent of San Stefano | Former Convent of San Stefano]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Teodoro | Former Convent of San Teodoro]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Maria del Giglio | Former Convent of Santa Maria del Giglio]] | ||
|group6 = San Polo | |group6 = San Polo | ||
|list6 = [[Convent of the Frari | Convent of the Frari]] | |list6 = [[Former Convent of the Frari | Former Convent of the Frari]] | ||
|group7 = Santa Croce | |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]] | |list7 = [[Former Convent of Santa Chiara | Former Convent of Santa Chiara]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of Santa Maria Maggiore | Former Convent of Santa Maggiore]]{{w}}[[Former Convent of San Nicola di Tolentino | Former Convent of San Nicola di Tolentino]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Hoey, Kahan, Marchetti, Mazza. 2003. ''Convents, Churches and Palaces: Transformation of Historic Buildings and the Impact of Venices Neighborhoods'' | 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. | Howard, D., and S. Quill. 2002. The Architectural History of Venice: Yale University Press. | ||
Latest revision as of 19:29, 12 January 2014
 Convents of Venice | |
| Total Number of Convents | 59 |
|---|---|
| Total Number in Cannaregio | 9 |
| Total Number in Castello | 19 |
| Total Number in Dorsoduro | 13 |
| Total Number in Giudecca | 6 |
| Total Number in San Marco | 6 |
| Total Number in San Polo | 1 |
| Total Number in Santa Croce | 3 |
| Active Convents | 8 |
This page is an overview of all the convents in Venice. For a typical convent, see Convent or the Wikipedia page Convent.
Convents, or conventi in Italian, often accompanied the churches located on the islands of the lagoon. There are 59 known convents 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
As the city of Venice expanded 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
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 Former Convent of Santi 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|Former Convent of San Alvise 45.43242,12.35817|Former Convent of Santa Anna 45.43462,12.34094|Convent of Santa Apollonia 45.44277,12.33904|Former Convent of Gesuiti 45.43361,12.34844|Former Convent of the Ca' di Dio 45.43109,12.32811|Former Convent of Santa Maria della Carita 45.43319,12.32181|Former Convent of Santa Maria del Carmine 45.4376,12.34987|Former Convent della Celestia 45.44055,12.31681|Former Convent of Santa Chiara 45.42587,12.3213|Former Convent di Convertite 45.42538,12.32341|Former Convent of Santa Cosmo 45.42749,12.36559|Convent of Sant Elena 45.43681,12.33816|Former Convent de la Fava 45.43734,12.32593|Former Convent of the Frari 45.43278,12.33286|Former Convent of Santa Maria del Giglio 45.44484,12.32032|Former Convent of Santa Giobbe 45.44027,12.34207|Former Convent of Santi Giovanni e Paolo 45.44042,12.34233|Former Convent of San Girolamo 45.44582,12.32515|Convent of Santa Giustina 45.43093,12.33397|Former Convent of San Gregorio 45.43045,12.35774|Former Convent of Sant'Isepo 45.42454,12.33513|Former Convent delle Croce 45.43425,12.34601|Former Convent della Pieta Santa Maria della Visitazione 45.43784,12.34377|Former Convent of San Giovanni in Laterno 45.44706,12.31949|Former Convent of Santa Maria delle Penitenti 45.43684,12.3455|Former Convent of San Lorenzo 45.43543,12.31747|Former Convent of Santa Maria Maggiore 45.43666,12.34607|Former Convent of San Giovanni in Malta 45.42642,12.36267|Former Convent delle Suore Mantellate 45.43346,12.33175|Convent of San Maurizio 45.44167,12.34275|Former Convent di Mendicanti 45.42989,12.3339|Former Convent di Catecumeni 45.43927,12.33938|Former Convent of Santa Maria dei Miracoli 45.43582,12.34884|Former Convent of the Muneghette 45.43181,12.3233|Former Convent of Ognisanti 45.44641,12.33281|Former Convent of Madonna dell'Orto 45.43292,12.35437|Former Convent of F. da Paula 45.43943,12.34537|Former Convent of Santa Maria del Pianto 45.43426,12.35961|Former Convent of San Pietro 45.42444,12.33267|Convent of the Redentore 45.44367,12.33691|Former Convent of Santa Caterina 45.43198,12.32418|Former Convent of the Eremitane 45.43201,12.32425|Former Convent of the Gesuati 45.43063,12.33538|Former Seminary di Salute 45.43641,12.33637|Former Convent of San Salvador 45.44187,12.32181|Former Convent of Santa Maria di Nazareth di Scalzi 45.43183,12.32025|Former Convent of San Sebastiano 45.42898,12.34238|Convent of San Giorgio Maggiore 45.4289,12.33046|Former Convent of Spirito Santo 45.43381,12.33159|Former Convent of San Stefano 45.43515,12.3403|Former Convent of San Teodoro 45.43336,12.31604|Former Convent of Santa Teresa 45.43786,12.3228|Former Convent of San Nicola di Tolentino 45.42538,12.33064|Former Convent of SS. Trinita 45.43861,12.34815|Former Convent of San Francesco de la Vigna 45.42954,12.32687|Convent of Santa Maria della Visitazione 45.42765,12.34088|Convent of Giovanni Batista 45.43436,12.34369|Convent of San Zaccaria 45.42679,12.33922|Former Convent of Santa Maria della Presentazione </display_map>
See Also
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.