Santa Maria della Salute (Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute) is one of the most significant and beautiful churches in Venice (Venezia). It is located in the south of Venice in the historic quarter of Dorsoduro, on the Grand Canal (Canal Grande) against the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale).
History of construction
The cathedral appeared in the XVII century, at which time the territory of Italy was covered by an epidemic of plague, during which a third of the population of Venice died. According to legend, the City Council announced that a church will be erected in honor of the Holy Virgin Mary if she stops the disease. And the epidemic was stopped by fervent prayers of the residents of the city of Virgin Mary, and the Council had to keep the promise made in public by announcing a competition among architects.
The winner was a young unknown architect Baldassarre Longhena. The church was built in 1630 with folk remedies of more than 50 years. The creator of the church did not see the church completed.
The grand opening took place in 1681, the church was consecrated in honor of the Holy Virgin Mary, who brought the Venetians deliverance from a deadly disease ("Salute" in the name of the church means "healing").
Features
The building of Santa Maria della Salute, it was decided to put on a powerful pile of wood installed on the Grand Canal. It took a million of these logs, which were driven into the bottom of the channel close to each other so that a platform-platform was formed. It was an expensive, time-consuming and lengthy process, as the soil subsided and it was difficult to achieve a monolithic platform for construction.
An octagon-shaped brick basilica, coated on the outside with a dusting of marble chips, was installed on the formed wooden basement.
The central snow-white dome of Santa Maria della Salute has the shape of a hemisphere, it is mounted on a drum with 15 faces with large windows, decorated with arches on the outside. Above the altar part there is another small dome of the same shape.
Both outside and inside the church is designed in the Baroque stylistic canons.
The front part is richly decorated:
- Columns
- Bas-reliefs;
- Sculptural compositions;
- Pilasters.
An unusual form of the central entrance was associated with a triumphal arch, established in honor of the victory over the epidemic.
The interior is rich and sophisticated:
- The spacious octagonal central part is decorated with arched ceilings and columns, rushing upwards and turning into pilasters;
- 6 chapels, decorated with sculptural compositions and paintings, in side niches (5 chapels to the glory of the Mother of God, one to the glory of St. Anthony of Padua);
- Marble flooring creates an original geometric pattern;
- A sixty-meter-high dome rises above the believers.
Interior decoration of the cathedral - paintings by famous artists:
- Ascension, Christmas, Introduction of the Virgin Mary to the Temple by Luca Giordano;
- “Marriage at Caen” by Tintoretto (Tintoretto known as Jacopo Robusti,);
- “The Apostle Mark on the Throne”, “Cain and Abel”, “The Descent of the Holy Spirit”, “The Sacrifice of Abraham” “David and Goliath” by Tiziano Vecellio.
Altar part
In the main altar niche there is a sculpture by Baldassare Longen depicting the Virgin Mary with a baby in her arms.
Above the altar is the icon "Mother Healer", brought from St. Titus Cathedral from the island of Crete, made in the Greco-Byzantine traditions.
To the right of the altar is a composition representing the Virginchasing away the monstrous old plague woman from Venice.
On the left side is an allegorical sculpture symbolizing Venice.
Traditions
Every year on November 21, the day of the Catholic holiday in honor of the introduction of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the church, a solemn service is held in memory of the miracle of ending the plague, and a celebration is being organized in the city.
The central event of this Venetian holiday is the arrangement of the original ferry from the gondolas between the Doge's Palace and the Basilica. On gondolas standing tightly to each other, everyone can go from the Palace to Santa Maria della Salute for a festive mass.
How to get
The church is open to visitors on any day of the week from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 17:00 hours, and on November 21, Santa Maria della Salute works without a break until 23:00.
- The church can be seen during a sightseeing tour of Venice from B to Z - we sincerely recommend it.
The Vaporetto water bus number 1 runs to the basilica along the Grand Canal from the central station.
