One of the most memorable and impressive aspects of Venice, setting for my novel The Echoes of Love, is its architecture, and of the many beautiful and historic buildings in the city, the Scuole are among my favourite.

The Scuole Grandi translates to ‘great schools’, date back as far as the 13th century and were set up as religious brotherhoods or organisations. In a city run by aristocrats, the Scuole were open to all citizens, and consequently membership spanned all manner of occupations and ethnicities. Each was dedicated to a different patron saint, and its aim was to do charitable works, which included providing money, food, clothes, dowries and funerals for impoverished members, running hospitals and organising religious festivals and processions. They grew to be fertile grounds for the arts, and musicians and composers in particular found patronage at the Scuole.

Eventually, formal buildings – palaces – were built for each school, and in each were commissioned artworks by the great artists of the day. If you visit Venice, taking the décor and construction of at least on Scuole is essential to get a feel for the spiritual and artistic history of the city. There are seven to choose from:

Scuola Grande della Carità (now part of the Gallerie dell’Accademia)

Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista

Scuola vecchia della Misericordia 

Scuola Grande di San Marco 

Scuola Grande di San Rocco 

Scuola Grande di San Teodoro 

Scuola Grande di Carmini

As well as finding the buildings and their contents inspiring from a viewpoint of their beauty, I find the concept of the Scuole fascinating. Why do we not have such schools in each city of the world today – run by the people, for the people; to help the needy, to further the arts?