The St. John and Paul hospital in Venice

Tourists reaching the Campo San Giovanni e Paolo in Venice are often surprised at seeing what seem to be two great churches next to one another; even more surprised when they discover that the ‘‘Church’’ with the most elaborate and beautiful facade is actually the principal entrance of St. John and Paul Civil Hospital, to the right of which a much less impressive although larger building is the church of Saints John and Paul. Venice’s hospital consists of various modern buildings and of four historical ones: the Scuola Grande di San Marco, the Dominican Convent, the Hospital of San Lazzaro e Mendicanti and the church and convent of Santa Marta del Pianto. Several books have been written on the history of the hospital and of the health system in Venice, and historical research is still active (Figs. 1, 2).