Located in the Punta della Dogana area, a building used as a customs headquarters for the goods and goods of the naval trade during the Republic of Venice, overlooks the entrance between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, in the heart of the San Marco.
The main feature are the two domes that stand on it, the largest designed with the Rosary Crown in mind and the smaller one that acts as a sanctuary. It was built as a sign of thanks for the end of the plague in 1630, from this fact derives the name "della Salute", designed by Baldassare Longhena, who in this work expressed the best of his engineering genius inspired by designing it, also to Palladio models.
This basilica is one of the most famous and important architectural cornerstones of Venezia, thanks to its octagonal baroque style and the large hemispherical dome. On the top we find the statue of the patron Virgin of Venezia, dressed as a captain of the sea with the command staff, today we can admire the original statue in the offices of the management at Ducale palace.
The entire exterior of the Santa Maria della Salute Basilica is adorned with a series of statues, which follow the theme of the glorification of Mary. Going up the imposing staircase, which almost seems to emerge from the waters, we enter a large and bright environment, consisting of the large area of the central dome, surrounded by six side chapels and the small minor chapel that overlooks a real sanctuary, which houses the precious and venerated image of the Madonna della Salute.
The lines that converge under the dome form a kind of vortex in the inlaid marble floor, in the center of which there is a point which is said to emit healing energy. Among the most important works we find The wedding of Cana del Tintoretto, San Marco enthroned with the saints Cosma and Damiano, Rocco and Sebastiano works by
On the ceiling, however, we can admire three square frescoes Cain and Abel, Sacrifice of Isaac and David and Goliath, always original works by Titian. Finally, one can not stop at the seminary cloister, where we find the Pinacoteca Manfrediniana, which collects works donated by illustrious ecclesiastics of the thirteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Every year, on November 21, the Feast of the Madonna della Salute has been held for over three centuries, with the city pilgrimage to the Madonna, led by the Patriarch and the civil authorities of the city. The traditional bridge that allows you to cross the Grand Canal from Santa Maria del Giglio is set up.
Thousands of pilgrims come from all over the region to entrust their prayers to the Madonna della Salute, and to light a candle as a visible sign of their faith. An important moment for many believers, who have the right occasion to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance.
