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ABOVE: A map of the San Clemente Palace's
private island, showing the chapel (left), the hotel, the shuttle-boat landing
(bottom center), and the extensive gardens. INSET: A photo of
the island in its pre-hotel days.
The Island of San Clemente
Nearly 900 years ago, the Isola di San Clemente was a
refuge for Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. The Chiesa di San Clemente
was built on the island in 1131, and a monastery soon followed. Various orders
inhabited the island until 1645, when the Camaldolesi monks arrived and restored
the church with help from the Venetian nobility. San Clemente was also used by
the Doges of the Venetian Republic as a place for meeting and entertaining
guests who arrived by sea.
 During
the French and Austrian occupations of Venice from 1797 to 1866, monasteries
were outlawed and the island of San Clemente was turned into a hospital. Many of
the buildings on the island today were built early in the 20th Century.
Several years ago, the island was acquired by its current
owners, who transformed the Renaissance-style buildings into a luxury hotel with
205 rooms and suites, a pool, tennis courts, a small golf course, a spa, and a
conference center. The grounds have been painstakingly restored by a year-round
team of gardeners, creating what is literally an island of tranquility just 15
minutes by private launch from St. Mark's Square.
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