Santa Maria della Salute
Church
Mighty Dome
Santa Maria della Salute
One of the most beautiful landmarks in Venice
Right at the entrance to the Canale Grande is the church of Santa Maria della Salute – undoubtedly one of the most imposing buildings of Venice, which is an indispensable part of the cityscape. It was built between 1631 and 1687 out of gratitude for the end of the plague in 1630. 40,000 Venetians fell victim to the black death at that time, and as a sign of thanks for the answer to their prayers they built the church to honour the Mother of God. The impressive religious dome was built atop more than 100,000 wooden stakes. It can be admired by visitors from the Saint Mark’s Square. Unfortunately, few visitors make the journey across the canal to admire the beautiful church from the inside. By the way, from the gates of Santa Maria della Salute you have one of the most beautiful views of the centre of Venice: St. Mark’s Square, Doges Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica and the Campanile all look their best from here!
The interior of Santa Maria della Salute
The interior of Santa Maria della Salute is in the style of the Venetian Renaissance. Eight massive columns support the dome – on the left and the right side are six side chapels. One of the most valuable and historically important figures of the church is located at the high altar: “The Mother of God fulfilled the request of the Venetians”. This beautiful sculpture was created by the Flemish artist Giusto Le Court and is also his most important work. A total number of 120 figures adorn the sacred architecture, including a Greek-Byzantine icon of the Madonna della Salute from Crete (also on the high altar). In the sacristy, you can see the “Wedding at Cana” by Tintoretto and “David and Goliath”, “Saint Mark”, “The Sacrifice of Abraham” and the ceiling painting “Cain and Abel” by Titian.
Every year on 21st November the Salute festival takes place. A special water bridge over the Grand Canal is built for this reason every year on which a solemn procession makes its way to Santa Maria della Salute.
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Landing stage: Salute
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