The Chiesa di Santa Maria del Pianto is an octagonal church and former monastery facing Venice’s northern lagoon, designed by architect Francesco Contin and completed in 1658. It was commissioned by the Senate of the Republic in connection with the plague of 1630 and the War of Candia. In the early nineteenth century, the complex was repurposed as a school, hospital, barracks, and even a storage facility, undergoing significant alterations before its reconsecration in 1851. 

From the early 1970s onwards, the church was closed to the public and has remained inaccessible for decades; it has been recently entrusted to the Fondazione Museo della Scuola Grande di San Marco e della Sanità for progressive restoration and renewed religious and cultural accessibility. Hard Teeth is the first cultural initiative hosted by this historical place of great importance to Venice.

Open location in map.