Simply called "la Pietà” by Venetians, the church of Santa Maria della Visitazione belongs to the Ospizio degli Esposti, Venice’s most famous orphanage.

This institution was set up in 1346 and enjoyed the protection of the Pope and the Doge.
Given its great popularity, a warning had to be put up on the side of the church (still visible today) that foresaw eternal damnation for any parents intending to abandon their children.

The old fifteenth-century church was rebuilt in the years 1745-1760 by Giorgio Massari, but the Classical façade we see today was only added in 1906.
The interior of this oval church is elegant and includes a fine fresco by Giambattista Tiepolo entitled the "Triumph of the Faith" (1755).
The famous composer and violinist Antonio Vivaldi taught in the original church in the 1700s, before the church was rebuilt. The church has excellent acoustics and is still used today for Vivaldi concerts.

1600 - 1700 - CASTELLO - rev. 0.1.5