A visit to Venice original site of Opsendale degli Incuribili
Venice flooding and the detriment to its architecture are evident every time there are photos on social media around Fall in Venice, when the water levels rise and fill the famous St. Mark’s square. The square when I arrived was stacked full of protective platforms that serve as walkways for people through the square when they cannot get across the pavement due to flooding. Lucky for me, there were places for me to walk that weren’t totally covered by the water when I visited the square. But there’s evidence of the flooding everywhere, and the City is just used to ticking along despite this huge issue.
Two of the hospitals that I visited while in Venice were the Ospendale Degli Incuribili and the St. John and Paul Hospital. This post will be about the Ospendale Degli Icuribili. The next post will be about the St. John and Paul’s Hospital. The Ospendale degli Incuribili is a large 16th century (1522) hospital building on the an island not to far and across the Grand Canale from St. Mark’s square and it is located on the Fondamenta della Zaterre, in the Dorosduro district. I took a 2 euro traghetto over the Grand Canale to get there, which was a very fun experience. There were only 2 other riders at the time, so it was a semi-private Traghetto ride just by chance. I cross over one canal and through the tiniest alley between building imaginable, that I even questioned if I was getting myself lost, but found it was the correct way and followed closely behind a woman who appeared to be headed to work. She was carefully slogging around on the wet partially flooded sidewalk trying not to get her shoes wet. At first the hospital was intended to serve patients who had been diagnosed with incurable illnesses like syphilis but later became an orphanage.
Today, the building is occupied by the Academy of Fine Arts. No one was expecting my visit and I was a bit nervous because 1) I don’t speak any Italian and 2) they had no public forum like a museum to educate the general public. Upon entry to the building, it was very striking how close the door of the facility is to the actual water, how the door is decayed and discolored from the water entry. As soon as I arrived, I announced the reason for my visit (research on architecture history) and the 2 women in the office didn’t speak English well enough so they called another gentlemen for a quick meeting with me and I was able to interview him.
He told me that the place used to be a church in the beginning, then became a hospital to serve incurables, then later was transitioned for use as a gallery of fine arts and music. He told me I was welcome to come into the courtyard and check it out but that if I wanted to learn more about the building, I’d probably have to stay longer in the city to research it at local nearby library archives.
I walked around the courtyard and peered into the hallways, checked out the maps to get an idea how the hospital had been thoroughly adapted to its current use as a school. I noticed that they have some structural shoring erected under one of the arches and wondered if they were having issues with the vaulted ceiling brick finish or if they were actually having a structural issue with that portion of the arch. I noticed updates that were done to the facility like adding a wheelchair lift. There was a student display of artwork that was justaposed by the vaulted brick ceiling, the courtyard, the historic door that spoke volumes about the dynamism brought to the building through digital artwork created by students next to a historic building originating from the 16th century. It seems poetic the way the two were so beautiful together but were so opposite from each other. There was laughter in the square, a youthful vigor brought to the building’s historic halls that promises that there could be a bright future for this place. Much of what I have seen today is positive, but the facility clearly needs funds for a refinish if not a renovation/restoration. Hopefully the community of Dorosduro can work with Venice to continue to improve this place and preserve its long history.
#historicpreservation#venice#veniceflood
