Venice - Confraternity House of the Carmelites

(Local Name: Scuola dei Carmini) This Scuola formerly served one of the six most important confraternities of Venice. The Scuole were not schools but meeting-places and houses of prayer for religious fraternities where Venetian citizens banded together. They were organized either according to country of origin or according to occupation, had specific religious or charitable aims and above all provided mutual assistance and charitable benefits. They were often very rich, and this is demonstrated by their splendid confraternity houses.

The Scuola dei Carmini belonged to a lay confraternity of Carmelites who, nevertheless, were able to commission such important artists as Giambattista Tiepolo and Nicolò Bambini to decorate their house for them. In the hall on the upper floor Tiepolo created nine ceiling-paintings between 1739 and 1744, including his most mature work "Mary handing St Simon the Scapular of the Carmelites". He was paid only 400 sequins for this fresco.

The other paintings, including those by Bambini, all dating from the 18th century are also of interest.