Scuola Vecchia della Misericordia, Religious confraternity building in Cannaregio, Venice, Italy

The Scuola Vecchia di Santa Maria della Misericordia is a large Gothic building in the Cannaregio sestiere, its facade angled with that of the Abbazia della Misericordia church and covering the end of the sotoportego on the Fondamenta de l'Abazia. Built in 1310 and enlarged until the mid-15th century, it was the first seat of the Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Misericordia. Its portal once held a lunette attributed to Giovanni Bon, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Built in 1310 as the first seat of the Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Misericordia, a confraternity of Battuti active from 1308 to 1806, the building was enlarged several times until it took its Gothic form around the mid-15th century. The Scuola soon moved across the rio, and the Arte dei Tessitori di Seta occupied the premises until 1806. In 1920 the painter Italico Brass bought the complex and restored it; his heirs sold it to the state in 1974.

The name recalls the Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Misericordia, a confraternity of Battuti active from 1308 to 1806, which built this first seat in 1310. After the brotherhood moved across the rio, the Arte dei Tessitori di Seta, the silk weavers' guild, used the rooms until 1806.

The building now functions as a research and conservation center and is not open to regular visitors. Occasional guided tours and events provide opportunities to access it, so check ahead before planning a visit.

The building was bought in 1920 by the painter Italico Brass, who restored the complex to house his collection and his atelier; his heirs sold it to the Italian state in 1974. The garden redesign attributed to him is not documented in the sources.