The Basilica of St Mary of Health
The Basilica of St Mary of Health (Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute), commonly known simply as the Salute, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located in the Dorsoduro sestiere of the Italian city of Venice. It stands on a narrow finger of land between the Grand Canal and the Bacino di San Marco making the church visible when entering the Piazza San Marco from the water.
The Salute is the most recent of the so-called plague-churches. In 1630 Venice experienced an unusually devastating outbreak of the plague which over the next two years killed nearly a third of the population. As a votive offering for the city's deliverance from the pestilence, the Republic of Venice vowed to build and dedicate a church to Our Lady of Health (or of Deliverance, Salute). The church was designed in the then fashionable baroque style by Baldassare Longhena. Construction began in 1631. Most of the objects of art housed in the church bear references to the Black Death.
The dome of the Salute was an important addition to the Venice skyline and soon became emblematic of the city, inspiring artists like Canaletto, J. M. W. Turner, John Singer Sargent and Francesco Guardi.
Similar places by:
Architect |
Baldassarre Longhena |
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Style |
Baroque |
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Category |
church architecture |
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Material |
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marble stone |
Hint |
Free entrance |