This plain almshouse is often overlooked in favour of the extravagant Jesuit church opposite. But the 12th-century Order of the Cross that founded it to administer to pilgrims had the patronage of the doge, no less. He gave them a generous endowment, which they used to commission eight monumental canvases by Palma il Giovane, topped by a painted ceiling. Glowing red and gold, they tell the story of the Order and depict aspects of the 16th-century neighbourhood you can still see outside.
L’Oratorio dei Crociferi
Venice
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.62 MILES
With a profusion of domes and more than 8000 sq metres of luminous mosaics, Venice's cathedral is unforgettable. It was founded in the 9th century to…
0.68 MILES
Holding pride of place on the waterfront, this pretty Gothic confection may be an unlikely setting for the political and administrative seat of a great…
22.43 MILES
Padua's version of the Sistine Chapel, the Cappella degli Scrovegni houses one of Italy's great Renaissance masterpieces – a striking cycle of Giotto…
0.98 MILES
Venice's historic gallery traces the development of Venetian art from the 14th to 19th centuries, with works by all of the city's artistic superstars. The…
0.59 MILES
In medieval times this part of Cannaregio housed a getto (foundry), but it was as the designated Jewish quarter from the 16th to 19th centuries that the…
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
0.9 MILES
Baldassare Longhena's magnificent basilica is prominently positioned near the entrance to the Grand Canal, its white stones, exuberant statuary and high…
0.91 MILES
Baroque dreams come true at this Baldassare Longhena–designed Grand Canal palazzo (mansion), where a marble staircase leads to a vast gilded ballroom and…
0.93 MILES
After losing her father on the Titanic, heiress Peggy Guggenheim became one of the great collectors of the 20th century. Her palatial canalside home,…
Nearby Venice attractions
0.02 MILES
Giddily over the top even by rococo standards, this glitzy 18th-century Jesuit church is difficult to take in all at once, with staggering white-and-green…
0.18 MILES
Housed in the 15th-century palazzo of the Papafava family, who bought their way into the Venetian nobility in 1652, this museum offers insight into…
3. Scuola Grande della Misericordia
0.2 MILES
One of Venice’s seven grand confraternities, the Misericordia was the seat of the wealthy silk weavers guild that commissioned this enormous classical…
0.22 MILES
Created by architect and designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte, this foundation aims to nurture the talent of young architects via a series of annual…
5. Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli
0.27 MILES
This magnificent church was built between 1481 and 1489 to house Nicolò di Pietro's Madonna icon after the painting began to miraculously weep in its…
6. Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro
0.29 MILES
One of the most beautiful buildings on the Grand Canal, with a lacy Gothic facade, 15th-century Ca’ d’Oro is resplendent even without the original gold…
0.3 MILES
Instead of simple father-son handyman projects, sculptor Pietro Lombardo and his sons had more ambitious goals: a high-Renaissance marble facade for the…
8. La Spezieria all’Ercole d’Oro
0.32 MILES
This perfectly preserved 17th-century spezieria (pharmacy) illustrates how Venetian medical advice was dispensed three centuries ago, with curatives in…