This little yellow building with the typically Venetian chimney stacks has been on this site since it was founded by Doge Renier Zeno in the 13th Century. It is the Hospital and Oratory of the Crociferi. The Order the Crociferi, (cross-bearers) was founded near Bologna to tend the wounds of returning Crusaders. The members carried a plain cross of wood or metal as part of their costume. Later, the Order became a charitable institution, a hospice for women.. It was suppressed sometime before the nearby church of the Gesuiti was built.

Doge Zeno, aside from his charitable works, is perhaps most remembered for banning families from hanging banners with family crests from their buildings after an actual brawl broke out in the Piazzetta between the Dandolo and Tiepolo clans. Zeno is buried in the southwest corner of the church of Giovanni e Paolo.