Fondazione Giorgio Cini

The Giorgio Cini Foundation occupies the former Benedictine monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore, across the basin from Piazza San Marco. Its cloisters, library and refectory connect monastic architecture with a modern institution devoted to culture and research.

Why it matters

Vittorio Cini established the foundation in 1951 in memory of his son Giorgio, who died in an air accident. Restoring the neglected monastery gave the institution both a historic home and a setting for scholarship on Venice and its civilisation.

What to notice

The Buora and Palladian cloisters represent different phases of monastic building. Baldassarre Longhena's monumental staircase and library add a Baroque layer. The refectory contains a full-scale facsimile of Veronese's Wedding at Cana, whose original is in the Louvre. Later additions include Randoll Coate's Borges Labyrinth, planted in 2011, and the Vatican Chapels created for the 2018 Architecture Biennale.

Context and history

The Benedictine foundation developed over centuries before Napoleonic suppression and subsequent military uses transformed the site. The Cini Foundation's restoration gave the buildings a new cultural purpose. Archives, libraries and research activities continue that transformation from monastic enclosure to a centre of study.