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The church Santa Maria della Presentazione is more commonly known as Le Zitelle (The Spinsters), since the convent here ran a hospice (founded by a group of Venetian noblewomen in 1559) for 'beautiful girls' from poor families whose beauty was thought to put them in danger of falling into prostitution.
The church was designed by Palladio around 1576 for a different site and built by Jacopo Bozzetto from 1581-88. Palladio's work included the façade between the two wings of the hospice. Roman influence is apparent in the design of the hemispheric cupola and the large lunette.
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