Scuola Grande di San Fantin o della Buona Morte, oggi la sede dell'Ateneo Veneto.

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Scuola Grande of San Fantin. - (Archive Bazzmann/Venipedia®)

Also known as the 'School of Good Death' because of the comforting activity towards prisoners destined to be hanged, carried out by one of the two Confraternities established in the School. For this reason, it was also often known by the nickname Scuola dei Picái (impiccàti, in Italian).
Located next to the church dedicated to San Fantin, today it houses one of Venice's most prestigious cultural institutions: the Ateneo Veneto.

The origins of the school are not known precisely, but the school dates back to 1471, the year in which two confraternities took up residence: that of San Gerolamo and that of Santa Maria della Giustizia (Mariegola ‘Statute Book’ of 1440). The members of this second congregation had the pitiful task of accompanying condemned prisoners to their execution, taking care of organizing the processions and the reading of public prayers; hence the name ‘della Buona Morte’ (of the good death) or ‘dei Picái’ (of the hanged men) given to the School.

These confraternities had had their head

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