Address: Italy, Venice
Start of construction: 1631 year
Completion of construction: 1681 year
Architect: Baldassare Longena
Coordinates: 45 ° 25'50.4 "N 12 ° 20'05.2" E
Content:
Short description
Starting a conversation about Venice, I would like to note that this amazing city on the water has never been considered the religious center of Italy.
View of the cathedral from the Campanile of St. Mark's Cathedral
Rather, it can be called the Italian capital of beauty, love and romance. But, despite this, and on its streets there was a place for the construction of beautiful temples and cathedrals, in which the Venetian architects put their talent and unsurpassed skill. Among the many other churches in Venice, the most beautiful, vibrant and even somewhat extraordinary is the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. By the way, it is she who is the largest domed church "Serene".
Like three and a half centuries ago, the Church of Santa Maria della Salute still stands today in the southeastern part of the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro area, directly opposite the legendary Doge's Palace... Looking at the building of impressive size, hardly any of the travelers who first arrived in the city of love and romance would think that this architectural miracle owes its appearance ... to the plague epidemic. And here, at the most opportune time, the saying comes to mind: "every cloud has a silver lining" ...
View of the cathedral from the Grand Canal
Santa Maria della Salute: history of origin
According to historical documents, at the beginning of the 17th century, in the 1630s and 1631s, a merciless plague was raging in Venice. People, unable to fight it, died in tens, hundreds, thousands. And then the representatives of the city Senate publicly promised the Holy Virgin Mary that if a terrible and fatal disease recedes from the city and stops taking human lives, a large and luxurious church will be erected in honor of the Mother of God.
Indeed, a real miracle happened. The exclamations and prayers of the faithful were heard by the Mother of God, the epidemic "left" Venice, alas, destroying more than a third of the city's population. The Senate, having decided not to tempt the fate of the indigenous population of the "serene city", immediately proceeded to fulfill the promise made to the Holy Virgin Mary. A competition was announced among the architects for the best design of the church. The winner was the talented novice architect Balthasar Longen, according to whose plan in 1631 the construction of the church of Santa Maria della Salute began.
The construction of the temple lasted a little less than half a century, and was completed after the death of the architect in 1681. Such a long construction period is explained quite simply: because of the constantly settling soil, because of the walls, which were not able to support the weight of the impressive central dome, construction work was interrupted every now and then. The original project, developed by Longuen, was changed several times already during the construction of the temple. According to documents that have survived to this day, only when laying one foundation of the building, the builders needed more than a million wooden beams (!), Most of which were used in the construction and installation of piles.
As mentioned above, the construction of the church of Santa Maria della Salute was completed in 1681. Unfortunately, its creator had already died by this time., and did not live to see the day when the temple was opened and consecrated. Local residents are still grateful to Balthazar Longen for creating such a magnificent Basilica, stunning in its splendor. I would like to add a little that the church got its name for a reason: “salute” in translation from Italian literally translates into Russian as “salvation” and “health”.
Cathedral view at night
Santa Maria della Salute: exterior and interior decoration
As some architects note, the church of Santa Maria della Salute looks very elegant outwardly, however, like most of the buildings in Venice. It is an octahedral Baroque building with a central white hemispherical dome mounted on a so-called drum with fifteen ribs, in which twin windows framed by arches are visible. In addition, another small dome was built on the Basilica. The entire facade of the building is decorated with numerous decorative elements: tympans, pilasters and sculptures (the Archangel Michael, John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary).
Once inside the temple, the first thing that almost every tourist pays attention to is the huge interior space of the church, high columns, gradually turning into pilasters and supporting the dome. By the way, the height of the dome is 60 meters. Travelers' attention is also drawn to the marble floor, laid out in concentric circles, and six chapels located along the perimeter of the basilica. Of course, the centerpiece of the Cathedral of Santa Maria della Salute is the altar. It depicts the Madonna and Child and is the work of the first architect, Longen. To the left you can see an allegorical image of Venice itself, and to the right - the Virgin Mary, expelling the plague from the city on the water. Above the altar is an icon of the Madonna della Salute (Mother of God), which was brought specially for the Venetian church from the Basilica of Saint Titus, located on the island of Crete.
View of the main entrance from the square in front of the cathedral
Within the walls of the Cathedral of Santa Maria della Salute is a painting by Tintoretto "Marriage at Cana", dating from 1561... There are also altarpieces belonging to the Italian painter Luca Giordano. These are the well-known murals "Christmas", "Ascension" and "Introduction of the Virgin Mary into the Temple." I would like to note that the interior decoration of the Cathedral of Santa Maria della Salute is mainly picturesque paintings. So, in addition to those already mentioned, on the walls of the temple there are paintings by Titian, in which the Italian depicted the evangelists. It is impossible to pass by canvases painted by the greatest artists on biblical subjects. These are "The Descent of the Holy Spirit", "The Sacrifice of Abraham", "David Slaying Goliath" and "Cain and Abel".
Festa della Salute - a feast in honor of the Holy Virgin Mary
Together with the construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice in 1682, a beautiful tradition called "Festa della Salute" appeared in the city. Every year on November 21, namely on this day, the merciless plague left the city with the help of the Virgin Mary, gondolas gather in front of the entrance to the church, completely blocking the Grand Canal and thus forming a kind of bridge.
Cathedral interior
Pilgrims pass through it to the church from the Doge's Palace in order to take part in the festive mass, and once again praise the Virgin Mary for her deliverance of the city from a terrible epidemic. On the same day, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Introduction to the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos.
