La Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute vista dal Canal Grande — (Archivio Bazzmann/Venipedia)

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The Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute as seen from the Grand Canal - (Archivio Bazzmann/Venipedia)

The Basilica della Salute in Venice, a symbol of civic devotion and a Baroque masterpiece built after the plague of 1630-1631, celebrates its feast day on 21 November. Designed by architect Baldassare Longhena, it stands strategically at the entrance to the Grand Canal, characterising the lagoon landscape with its majestic octagonal dome and two 46-metre-high bell towers. The sanctuary houses priceless artistic treasures: the Byzantine icon of the Virgin Nicopeia, works by Titian, Tintoretto and Bellini, as well as the relics of St. Jerome Miani. The construction, completed in 1687, required imposing foundations on piles to ensure its stability on the ground. Longhena dedicated his entire life to this monumental work, without ever seeing it completed, as he died in 1682.

One of the sacred places in Venice where, on the day of the festival of the Madonna della Salute (21 November), Venetians reconnect with their city and participate in the sacred and timeless act of thanksgiving for having survived the plague epidemic of 1630 - 1631.The building was erected at the mouth of the Canal Grande, near the tip of the customs house, in an extremely picturesque location, sacrificing a religious complex of the Holy Trinity consisting of a church, convent and school; the commission for its design was given to Baldassare Longhena, winner of a competition in which 11 archit

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