There are many strange stories that can be found in Venice, but one of the strangest has to do with a convent of nuns. It is, or rather, it was the nuns of the Benedictine order. This community of nuns lived on the island now called Sant’Angelo della Polvere (literally Saint Angel of Dust). The particular name of this island derives from its use after the convent. Since ‘500 in fact this place was converted into a powder magazine of the Serenissima. But why were the nuns expelled? The chronicles of the time tell this story in great detail.
There was a period in which the wives of the fishermen of Pellestrina and Malamocco noticed a sudden decrease in the catch. The fishermen spread their arms and spoke of a bad season. But the women immediately suspected something and wanted to investigate the matter. They went to a magistrate of the Republic explaining their fears. Undercover investigators followed the boats of the fishermen in their daily work. The investigators soon discovered that all boats returning from sea fishing, strangely made a stop on the island of Sant’Angelo. After more accurate investigations it emerged that the fishermen offered part of their catch to the nuns who, living isolated and with little means, offered their “graces” in exchange.
Once discovered the affair, the wives of the fishermen obviously demanded an immediate intervention of the institutions. Prelates were then sent to the island to take urgent action. However, the envoys were stoned by the lively nuns and forced to flee. The intervention of the soldiers was therefore necessary, who managed to storm the building under a shower of stones. The nuns left the island and were transferred to monasteries in the hinterland, much to the regret of all the fishermen of the Venice lagoon. The island was confiscated and its use was changed, taking the name it bears today.
Some years ago, during the archaeological excavations conducted on the island, further confirmation of this story was obtained. Inside an old well were in fact found a myriad of oyster shells. Oysters were expensive even at the time of those facts and surely they were not part of the typical diet of the nuns. From this it was believed that fishermen had given the best catch to the nuns in order to grant their favors. But what remains today of this strange story is only “dust“.
Location: Sant’Angelo della Polvere Island, Venice
