Sant'Angelo della Polvere (originally called ''Sant'Angelo di Concordia'', later ''Sant'Angelo di Contorta '' and ''Sant'Angelo di Caotorta'') is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, in the Contorta channel, not far from the

Giudecca Giudecca (; vec, Zueca) is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, in northern Italy. It is part of the '' sestiere'' of Dorsoduro and is a locality of the ''comune'' of Venice. Geography Giudecca lies immediately south of the central islands of Ve ...

and the island of

San Giorgio in Alga San Giorgio in Alga (English: "St. George in the seaweed") is an island of the Venetian lagoon, northern Italy, lying between the Giudecca and Fusina (a ''frazione'' of Venice on the coast, near Marghera). History After a Benedictine monastery ...

. An Italian state property, it has a surface of 0.53 ha and is home to four buildings.

History

From 1060 it housed a church and monastery initially under the Benedictines, first male and then female; the latter dedicated the monastery to St. Michael Archangel, whence the name. In 1474 the nuns were forced to move to the monastery of the Cross in the Giudecca, due to their unruly behaviour, and from 1518 the complex was held by the

Carmelites , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

and

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...

. In 1555 the island took its present name, when the Senate of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

decided to depopulate it due to its unhealthy air and to install in it a gunpowder depot. On 29 August 1689 lightning struck the island, destroying the whole complex. The island remained abandoned for several years. 18th century maps indicate the presence of some military installations, and it remained a military site until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

; since then it has remained unused.

References

Sources

* {{authority control Islands of the Venetian Lagoon Uninhabited islands of Italy