Name: Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
Address: Dorsoduro, 1, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
Rating: 4.7

Spectacular domed baroque church with unique octagonal design & sacristy housing 12 works by Titian.

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Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

Prato della Valle

The Basilica of St. Anthony

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute was constructed in 1631 to commemorate the end of a devastating plague outbreak that ravaged Venice and the surrounding region.

Built to Celebrate the End of the Plague

It took 56 years to build the basilica, with construction beginning in 1631 and concluding in 1687.

Years of Construction

The basilica is renowned for its distinctive octagonal baroque style, a testament to the architectural genius of Baldassare Longhena.

Unique Architectural Style

The basilica's impressive dome is a prominent landmark in Venice, visible from various points throughout the city.

Visible from Across Venice

The basilica is dedicated to Our Lady of Health (Salute in Italian), a title given to the Virgin Mary, symbolizing hope and protection from disease.

Dedicated to Our Lady of Health

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, a prominent feature of Venice's skyline, owes its existence to a vow made by the Venetian Republic during the devastating plague of 1630. Baldassare Longhena's design, chosen from eleven submissions, is a testament to Baroque architecture, uniquely incorporating a centralized plan with an octagonal structure. Its most striking feature is undoubtedly the pair of grand domes, visually anchoring the church and dominating the entrance to the Grand Canal. Look closely and you'll notice the scrolls, or volutes, that support the larger dome, an innovative architectural solution that adds both visual lightness and structural integrity. Inside, the high altar showcases a Byzantine icon of the Virgin and Child, believed to possess miraculous powers. The basilica's placement was strategically chosen on a narrow finger of land between the Grand Canal and the Bacino di San Marco, ensuring its visibility from almost every vantage point in the city. The Festa della Salute, celebrated annually on November 21st, sees a pontoon bridge constructed across the Grand Canal, allowing Venetians to walk in pilgrimage to the basilica, a tradition that continues to this day.

Introduction

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute significantly contributes to the iconic Venetian skyline, its dome a prominent feature visible from various vantage points. Situated at the Punta della Dogana, between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, its location at the Bacino di San Marco ensures its visibility upon entering Piazza San Marco from the water, making it an unmissable element of the cityscape.

Erected as a votive offering following a devastating outbreak of plague in 1630, the Salute's dome became emblematic of Venice, captured in numerous artworks by local artists like Canaletto and Francesco Guardi, as well as international figures such as J. M. W. Turner and John Singer Sargent. Its architectural presence has thus been immortalized, solidifying its place within Venice's visual identity.

The basilica's construction, commencing in 1631, was a deliberate addition to the skyline, intended to inspire hope and resilience. Its silhouette serves as a constant reminder of the city's history and its deliverance from the plague. The annual Festa della Madonna della Salute, a major event in Venice, involves a procession from San Marco to the Salute, further emphasizing the church's importance to the city's cultural landscape and skyline.

Venetian Skyline

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is central to the Festa della Madonna della Salute, an annual Venetian celebration on November 21. This festival commemorates the city's deliverance from the plague in 1631, prompting the construction of the basilica as a votive offering to Our Lady of Health. Every year, Venetians observe the Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin, crossing an improvised bridge over the Grand Canal to reach the Salute Basilica. This pilgrimage is a gesture of gratitude for being freed from the plague.

During the Festa, the Basilica becomes a focal point of pilgrimage, with a bridge of boats constructed across the Grand Canal, allowing Venetians to reach the church and light candles. The Festa della Madonna della Salute is a deeply spiritual event, characterized by candles, Catholic mass, and traditional food shared among family and friends. It offers a contrast to the more tourist-heavy Redentore festival, emphasizing a yearly pilgrimage for good health and spiritual reflection. The annual celebration underscores the Basilica's role as a symbol of Venice's resilience and faith.

Festa della Madonna della Salute

Baldassare Longhena, a young architect at the time, was chosen from eleven candidates to design the Santa Maria della Salute following a competition. Longhena's bold, octagonal design, intended to represent a crown for the Virgin Mary, secured his selection at the age of 26. His design was favored by the Venetian Senate, with a vote of 66 in favor, 29 against, and 2 abstentions.

Longhena saw the structure as crown-like, while others viewed the decorative circular building as a reliquary. Construction began in 1631 but Longhena did not live to see its completion in 1681, dying the year before. His design was a concrete architectural plan, detailing the structure and costs. Longhena described his creation as a "virgin work, never before seen, curious, worthy and beautiful, made in the form of a round monument that has never been seen, nor ever before invented, neither altogether, nor in part, in other churches in this most serene city."

Longhena's competitors included Antonio Smeraldi and Zambattista Rubertini, whose designs, along with Belli's, were conventional counter-reformation linear churches, resembling Palladio’s Redentore and San Giorgio Maggiore. Varotari’s design was a sketchy geometrical abstraction.

Baldassare Longhena

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, or simply La Salute, stands as Venice's most recent and prominent "plague church," a testament to the city's deliverance from a devastating outbreak in 1630. As a votive offering, the Republic of Venice vowed to construct this church dedicated to Our Lady of Health, or of Deliverance, in gratitude for the end of the pestilence that claimed nearly a third of the population. The Venetian Senate decreed its construction on October 22, 1630, mirroring the architectural response to a prior plague in 1575-76 when Palladio designed the Redentore church.

Unlike dedications to plague saints, this church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, considered a protector of the Republic. Baldassare Longhena, a student of Vincenzo Scamozzi, designed the Salute in the Baroque style, and construction commenced in 1631. Art within the basilica predominantly references the Black Death. The end of the 1630 plague was attributed to the intercession of an icon of the Virgin Mary, brought to Venice in 1670 by Francesco Morosini. The icon was placed inside the basilica on November 21, the patronal feast day.

Every year on November 21, during the Festa della Madonna della Salute, city officials parade from San Marco to the Salute, crossing the Grand Canal on a pontoon bridge in gratitude for deliverance from the plague. This tradition continues as a major event in Venice.

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

Did You Know?

Built to Celebrate the End of the Plague

Years of Construction

Unique Architectural Style

Visible from Across Venice

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