This watercolour captures one of Venice’s hidden gems, the Church of Santa Maria dei Derelitti (known as the Ospedaletto). The church, begun in 1575 to a design influenced by Andrea Palladio, was built to serve an orphanage founded by Saint Jerome Emiliani in 1528. Its exuberant Baroque facade, completed by Baldassare Longhena (architect of Santa Maria della Salute) in 1670, is one of Venice’s most theatrical. Inside, the oval staircase by Giuseppe Sardi and the Sala della Musica, with frescoes by Jacopo Guarana (pupil of Tiepolo), represent the pinnacle of Venetian charitable and musical tradition.
 
Interesting facts…
 
The Ospedaletto was one of Venice’s four great music conservatories, where orphan girls received musical training and performed concerts for visitors. The Sala della Musica was built in 1776-77 in the former kitchen of the orphanage, with curved walls designed for perfect acoustics. The church’s facade features massive Telamons (giant male figures shown here) by Giusto Le Court, among the most powerful sculptures in Venice. The altar contains paintings by Palma il Giovane and a Sacrifice of Abraham by Tiepolo (1715-16). The orphanage choir became famous throughout Europe, with composers like Vivaldi writing music specifically for these “figlie del coro”. Mozart attended a concert here in 1771 and praised the singing.
 
Location: Castello, Venice, Italy