Chiovere
di San Giobbe
Authors do not agree on the origin of the word chiovere. Some think that chiovere
derives from clauderiae
(Latin for enclosure),
an old term applied to describe grassy and
enclosed areas of Venice used for pasture. The best-accepted explanation is, however, that chiovere
derives from chiodi or chiovi (nails) because of the nails
used to hang fabrics after dyeing and washing. Regardless of the origin
of the word, the truth is that these places were used for the dyeing of
fibers, fabrics and leather. Their location was strictly regulated by
the city of Venice. Three areas still carry the name chiovere: San Giobbe, San Rocco and
San Girolamo,
but the grassy land plots have been transformed into modern housing.
Many of the houses in the Chiovere
di San Giobbe were built at the turn of the 20th century as part
of a long-term housing project that would bring "healthy and
economical" houses to the people of Venice. These areas have a distinct
characteristic, their houses are among the very few in Venice that have
a front yard. The street names in the Chiovere
di San Giobbe in Cannaregio still recall the activity that once
took place here: Calle dei Colori,
Calle del Scarlatto, Calle de la Corda, Calle del Saon. To
reach this area walk on Fondamenta
San Giobbe along the Canal de
Cannaregio, past Ponte dei
Tre Archi and the Rio de San
Giobbe and make a left
on the first street, Calle de le
Canne.
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De'
Barbari's view (1500). The chiovere di San Giobbe can be seen on the
upper left corner by the banks of the Rio de San Giobbe. The church of
San Giobbe with its gardens and the forerunner of the Ponte dei Tre
Archi are in the center.
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By the 15th century the art of dyeing was already very
well developed in Venice. The Plictho,
the first comprehensive treatise on the art of dyeing, was published in
Venice in 1548. Very little is known about the author Gioanventura Rosetti, except that he was
born in Venice and by the year 1530 was already working at the
Arsenal where he continued to work until at least 1548. The city
records show his name as Zuan Ventura Roxeti. In addition to The Plictho he also wrote a
treatise on perfumes published in 1555. According to his own account he
spent sixteen years working with all his forces, devoting days and
nights, months and years, with his "blood and poor substance," to
compiling the formulas and recipes for dyeing all sorts of fabric as
well as leather. He adds: "...these works of mine have been published
for the benefit of the people of this illustrious City of Venice, my
Fatherland, my nest, and my heritage. So that my remarkable Senators
can obtain benefit in their houses and workshops, increasing the number
of masters who will wish to exercise
these
three arts, so that there be decorous and suitable rooms to
carry out such workmanship, thus one can only expect great, useful
benefit and
honor to this illustrious City." It seems that his book wasn't just
about
dyeing, it was
also about capitalism, and above all about Venice.
The book begins with the following poem as an epigraph:
"O might it be, that Readers find delight
In this work that to the living is so opportune.
Set apart are Purple, Yellow, and how to brown,
To color in Wine, and faded shades,
The green, the blues, and scarlets
And those that carry the emblem of fortune."
The Plictho of Gioanventura Rosetti
Instructions in the Art
of Dyers Which Teaches the
Dyeing of
Woolen Cloths, Linens, Cottons,
And Silk by the Great Art
As Well as by the Common
Poem translated by S. M.
Edelstein and H. C. Borghetty
Illustration from
"The Plictho" by Gioanventura Rosetti
Calle de la Corda
(corda: line, string, rope)
"Saon"
in Venetian, "sapone" in Italian, means soap.
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Calle del Verde. It probably makes
reference to a manufacturer of green soap.
Soap used to come in just two colors: white and green.
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Cereria makes reference to a famous candle
factory that originally belonged to Andrea Bortolotti.
The raw wax
was imported from the Balkans, whitened and transformed into
high-quality
candles that
were sold all over Europe.
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Campiello Ca'
Pesaro. This charming campiello is also called "de le Cane" in some
documents.
Today the name "de le Cane" is reserved
for an adjacent court and a calle.
"Cane" or "canne" makes reference to the reeds
that grew along the Canal de
Cannaregio
and that were incinerated to make pitch for caulking the ships at the
Arsenal.
These reeds, or "canne," gave name to the whole district of Cannaregio.
The "vera da pozzo" in Istrian stone is from
the 15-16th century.
It has reliefs of amphoras and the coat of arms
of the Farsetti family.
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A beautiful capitelo dedicated to Saint
Anthony also graces Campiello Ca' Pesaro.
I love the description of this capitelo in the book "I Capiteli di
Venezia" by Fiorenzo Cùman:
'Immagine tipicamente popolare per la
gente umile che non mira all'arte ma solo alla pietà'
("...typical image popular with humble people that do not
look at the art, but only at the godliness.")
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Chiovere
di San Rocco is enclosed between
the Scuola and
Church of San Rocco, the state archives, Rio de le Muneghete and Rio de San Zuane Evangelista in San Polo. Some of the street names
include Calle de le Chiovere,
Calle de le Sechere and Calle de la Laca.
| Ramo San Nicoleto. In this area once stood
the church and convent of San Nicoleto de la Latuga (Saint Nicholas of
the Lettuce.) The strange name (although not so strange for Venice's
standards where we can find the church of Saint Mary of the Fava Bean
and the island of Saint George in the Seaweed) has a very interesting
origin. According to Tassini in his "Curiosità Veneziane,"
Nicolò Lion, procurator of Saint Mark, fell very ill, victim of
a fierce disease. One evening he had a strong craving for lettuce, but
being so late he couldn't find any in town, except for that in the
vegetable garden of the church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. He
soon recovered and attributed his cure to the lettuce from the holy
garden. In sign of gratitude, he erected a church and a small monastery
dedicated to Saint Nicholas next to the Frari church. To distinguish it
from the other churches that already carried the name of the saint (San
Nicolò al Lido and San Nicolò dei Mendicoli), this church
became known as San Nicoleto dei Frari or San Nicoleto de la Latuga.
The church and the convent were founded in 1332 and were later
remodeled and expanded. In the 16th century the church was enriched
with paintings by Titian, Veronese and Palma il Giovane. The church was
demolished at the beginning of the 19th century and its artwork
dispersed, but the convent remains and it's today part of the state
archives. |
Church of San Rocco
Almost an
antiquity at the beginning of Ramo Cimesin
Ramo
Cimesin. Cimesin is the name of an old Venetian family.
Modern capitelo
dedicated to the Madonna and Child on Ramo Cimesin. A little Venetian
gem.
Calle de le Chiovere
Calle de le Chiovere
Calle
del Campazzo
| Calle de la Laca. On this street,
centuries ago, there was a factory of "cera laca" (lacquer or sealing
wax.) |
| Calle de la Laca. This sotoportego takes
you from Chiovere di San Rocco to San Giovanni Evangelista. |
| Rio de le Muneghete. Muneghete (diminutive
of "muneghe," nuns) makes reference to the Augustian nuns that had a
convent ("Convento d'Agostiniane del Gesù e Maria") across the
canal in the sestiere of Santa Croce. |
| Fondamenta de le Sechere along Rio de le
Muneghete. "Sechere,"
"sechera" and "sechi" are Venetian words to describe a place that gets
flooded during high tide and dry at low tide. The mud banks along this
river can be seen in de' Barbari's view of Venice. |
| De' Barbari's view of Venice (1500). The
church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is in the forefront; behind,
the
church of San Rocco. Rio de San Zuane
Evangelista runs above the campanile of the Frari church and intersects
Rio de le Muneghete where we can see the muddy banks, today the
Fondamenta de le Sechere. Right behind the church of San Rocco and
immediately to its left, there
is the small belfry of the church of San Nicoleto de la Latuga. To the
far left of the church of San Rocco and by the banks of the Rio de le
Muneghete, is the Chiovere di San Rocco. To the
right of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari we can see the churches of San
Giovanni Evangelista and San Stin with their campanili. By Campo dei
Frari, next to the rio and the bridge, is the Scuola di Sant' Antonio,
today part of the state archives. |
Fondamenta de le
Sechere and Rio de le Muneghete
| Ponte Canal from Calle de Mezo. In naming
these two places, the latter literally meaning Street in the Middle,
Venetians (always so creative for toponyms) seem to have run out of
inspiration. |
Corte
del Volto Santo
Next to Ponte de l'Anconeta, and tucked
away at the end of a sotoportego
off Rio
Terà de la Madalena, is the attractive Corte del Volto Santo (Holy Face)
built by silk merchants from Lucca at the end of the 14th century. As a
result of the immigration waves that accompanied the Crusades,
Greeks, Sicilians, Saracens and Jews settled in mainland Italy and
brought with
them the art of silk weaving that in a short period
flourished in the city of Lucca. The beginning of the
14th century brought political instability to Lucca and
many of the families involved in the silk trade decided to emigrate to
Venice which by then had become one of the most important commercial
hubs in
the Mediterranean. In 1360 the merchants from Lucca created the
confraternity of the Volto Santo,
named after a crucifix much venerated in their native city. According
to legend, the crucifix was carved in cedar wood by Nicodemus, who
along with Joseph of Arimathea prepared the body of Jesus for burial,
with the help of angels. After finishing carving the body of Jesus and
unable to carve his face, Nicodemus went to sleep and when he woke up
he found that the face had been sculpted by angels. The crucifix was
brought to Lucca in the year 742 and is venerated today in the
cathedral of San Martino.
The Lucchese community of
Venice acquired in 1370 an area beyond Rio dei Servi where they built an
oratory and established a cemetery next to the Servi church. In 1398
they bought a plot of land on the other side of the canal to build the
headquarters of their confraternity and ten houses for poor people.
This is the Corte del Volto Santo today. The wellhead and many of the
sculptures that grace this beautiful corte
are original from 1398 or soon thereafter.
| Corte del Volto Santo was
devastated by the big fire of 1789 that originated in an oil store by
Campiello del Tagliapietra near the church of San Marcuola and that
soon spread to other parts of the city carried by the burning oil on
the surface of the waters. The houses on this corte were
reconstructed only one year after the conflagration. I wonder if the
blackened rafters that we see today bear testimony to that fire. |
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