Monumental staircase, Mauro Codussi
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista, Venice

Project
Restoration of the Monumental staircase, Mauro Codussi

Location
Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista, Venice

Project Director
Arch. Bruno Ranuffi

Contractors
Alessandro Ervas
Erco
Spazioluce
Sve
Unisve
Zero4uno Ingegneria s.r.l

Funding
Roger Thomas and Arthur Libera
The Gritti Palace
Venetian Heritage

Start date
September 2018

End date
April 2022

Cost
700.000,00 €

From the 13th century, the Scuole, or places instituted by lay brotherhoods for charitable purposes, were established in Venice, and occupied a fundamental role in the social and economic life of the Serenissima.The Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista is a monumental complex with illustrious examples of art and architecture accomplished by masters such as Pietro Lombardo, Giorgio Massari, Jacopo Palma il Giovane, Domenico Tintoretto e Gian Domenico Tiepolo. In 1498, Mauro Codussi, from Bergamo, built for the Scuola a significant staircase with two flights, accessible from two large portals. Venetian Heritage, from 2018, in collaboration with The Gritti Palace and Mr. Roger Thomas, funded the restoration of the staircase, a prime example of Venetian renaissance architecture. The restoration was carried out in two phases; the first consisted of the verification and consolidation of the foundations of the external wall of the Staircase, as well as the dismantling, restoration and relocation of all the steps in Istrian stone. The following stage involved the restoration of all the decorative stone elements of the staircase and the marmorino plasters that decorate the vaults and walls. Lastly a new lighting system was installed with the aim of enhancing this architectural masterpiece of the late fifteenth century.