The Lazzaretto Vecchio ("Old
Lazaret
A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. ...
"), formerly known as ("
Holy Mary of
Nazareth"), is an island of the
Venetian Lagoon, northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, located near the
Lido
Lido may refer to:
Geography Africa
* Lido, a district in the city of Fez, Morocco
Asia
* Lido, an area in Chaoyang District, Beijing
* Lido, a cinema theater in Siam Square shopping area in Bangkok
* Lido City, a resort in West Java owned by MN ...
of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
. Between 1403 and 1630 it housed a hospital which cared for people during the plague epidemics and as a
leper colony, giving rise to the English words
lazaret
A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. ...
and
lazaretto
A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings ...
. It was later used, as were other islands, as a military post. It covers an area large.
Since 2004 archaeologists have unearthed more than 1500 skeletons of plague victims buried here between the 15th and 17th centuries. These have been found in individual as well as in mass graves. The remains of thousands more are expected still to be found on the small island as the death-toll reportedly reached 500 per day in the 16th century.
Gallery
Lazzaretto Vecchio 2015, 01.JPG, Main entrance
Lazzaretto Vecchio 2015, 02.JPG, The staff building
Lazzaretto Vecchio 2015, 03.JPG, Panorama of the Lazzaretto buildings
Lazzaretto Vecchio 2015, 06.JPG, The hospital for the nobles
Lazzaretto Vecchio 2015, 07.JPG, Inside one of the galleries
See also
*
Lazaretto
A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings ...
*
Leper Colony
References
Islands of the Venetian Lagoon
Leper colonies
Quarantine facilities in Italy
Defunct hospitals in Italy
{{Veneto-geo-stub