Lazzaretto Vecchio
 Aerial view of Lazzaretto Vecchio | |
  Location in the Venetian Lagoon | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°24′22″N 12°21′34″E / 45.406193°N 12.359490°ECoordinates: 45°24′22″N 12°21′34″E / 45.406193°N 12.359490°E |
| Adjacent bodies of water | Venetian Lagoon |
| Area | 2.53 ha (6.3 acres) |
| Country | |
| Region | Veneto |
| Province | Province of Venice |
The Lazzaretto Vecchio is an island of the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, located near the Lido of Venice. Between 1403 and 1630 it housed a hospital which cared for people during the plague epidemics and as a leprosarium. It was later used, as were other islands, as a military post. It covers an area 2.53 hectares (6.3 acres) 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.[1]
See also
- Lazaretto
- Leper Colony
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lazzaretto Vecchio (Venice). |
- ↑ Valsecchi, M.C. (2007). "Mass Plague Graves Found on Venice "Quarantine" Island". National Geographic News. National Geographic Society. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
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