Venice’s Senate voted to build the Salute as a plague votive church in 1631, after an epidemic killed roughly a third of the city’s population. A 26-year-old architect, Baldassare Longhena, designed the circular structure resting on over a million wooden piles; he finished only in 1687, the year after his death. The church stands at the mouth of the Grand Canal in Dorsoduro and is one of the most painted buildings in art history. Entry is free; the sacristy holds Titian and Tintoretto paintings for a small additional fee. The November Festa della Salute, when a temporary bridge floats across the Grand Canal and the church fills with candles, is one of Venice’s most atmospheric annual events.
church in Venice
Santa Maria della Salute
Venice built this church because a plague killed roughly a third of its population in 1630 and 1631, and the Senate voted to raise a votive church to the Virgin Mary if she would stop it. She apparently did.
- Type
- church
- Destination
- Venice
- Cost
- Free to visit
- Founded
- 1687
- Era
- Baroque
- Address
- Dorsoduro 1, 30123 Venice
- Coordinates
- 45.4306, 12.3347
- Official website
- Visit website