The scuole, of which there were up to 400 in Venice, were secular confraternities devoted to works of charity and worship. They were located in magnificent palaces decorated by famous artists. In the Dorsoduro district, the Scuola Grande dei Carmini, designed by Longhena, possesses several masterpieces, including a Madonna appearing to Saint Simon Stock, to whom she gives the scapular (habit), by Tiepolo.