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 1630-1631 plague, celebrates its feast day on the 21st of 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, and the relics of St. Jerome Miani. The construction, completed in 1687, required pile foundations to ensure stability on the ground. Longhena dedicated his entire life to this monumental work, which he never saw completed; he died in 1682.

One of the sacred places in Venice where, on the day of the festival of the Madonna della Salute (21st of November), Venetians reconnect with their city and participate in the sacred and timeless act of giving thanks for having survived the plague 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, thereby sacrificing a religious complex of the Holy Trinity, comprising a church, convent, and school. The commission for its design was awarded to Baldassare Longhena, the winner of a compe

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