Santa Maria della Salute

The Santa Maria della Salute, often simply referred to as the "Salute", is the monumental domed church which stands at the entrance to the Grand Canal.

The then Doge of Venice, Giovanni Corner, announced on 22 October 1630 that a church would be constructed in honour of the Virgin Mary. He then led communal prayers for salvation from the plague epidemic which had already wiped out approximately one-third of the city's population during the previous fifteen months.

Within a few weeks the epidemic had subsided and the decision was taken to construct the church of the Santa Maria della Salute at the point where the Grand Canal joins the San Marco Basin.

The site, then occupied by the church and monastery of San Trinita, was cleared.

The intention was to create a monumental place of worship which would complement the magnificent Palladian churches of  San Giorgio Maggiore and the Redentore.

A competition was held and the winning design was submitted by Baldassare Longhena, a former pupil of Vincenzo Scamozzi, the architect who had completed Palladio's churches after his death.

Baldassare Longhena was 33 years old when he received the commission in 1631. He worked on the project intermittently for the rest of his life but died five years prior to its completion in 1687.

Interior facing towards high altar (left) and the cupola and galleries (right): Image published under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or later

The design of the church was revolutionary. The church, largely constructed  of brick coated with a marble dust facing, is based on an octagonal floor plan which incorporates two domes and two campaniles. The principal facade is on the Grand Canal, opposite the Piazza San Marco.

The interior consists of a central octagonal nave beneath the principal dome, an arrangement similar to that of the Roman Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. The nave is overlooked by a sixteen-sided gallery and partially encircled by a series of chapels. There is also a domed presbytery and a monk's choir.

The interior walls are faced with grey stone or white plaster. The marble floor is decorated with an exquisite spiral mosaic which depicts the thirty-two roses of the Virgin Mary's rosary.

The high altar in the presbytery of the Santa Maria della Salute

The chapels contain several magnificent altars. The high altar in the presbytery, also designed by Longhena, features a sculpture of the Madonna and Child. An allegorical statue of Venice kneels in prayer for salvation from the plague, portrayed as an ugly old hag put to flight by a cherub. A 12th century Byzantine image of the Virgin, once thought to possess miraculous powers, is incorporated within the altar.

Longhena placed particular emphasis on the creation of multiple layers of light and shade. The main source of light is provided by the gallery windows. Other sources include the high windows of the smaller cupola over the presbytery, the side windows which illuminate the altar and the windows in the drum of the principal dome.

The principal facade of the Santa Maria Salute Ria Nuessler - FOTOLIA

The entrance portal, designed in the form of a triumphal arch, is approached by four flights of stairs. The pillars which appear to support the dome are merely decorative. Their only purpose is to provide plinths for the numerous sculptures of saints.

Longhena was confronted with the problem of subsidence which he countered by laying a series of rafts over several hundred thousand wooden piles, thus distributing the downward force and creating an elasticity which would prevent the church from cracking under sustained stress. These lengthy preparations significantly delayed the building works.

Longhena also constructed the principal dome in plastered wood in order to reduce its weight.

The church contains some notable pictures by Salviati and Tintoretto. The latter painted the Marriage at Cana in the great sacristy.

The great sacristy also contains several works by Titian including the altar pictures of Venice's patron Saint Mark, the saintly doctors Cosmas and Damian and the plague saints Sebastian and Roch as well as the ceiling depictions of David and Goliath, Abraham and Isaac, and Cain and Abel.

On 21  November of each year a grand procession of local officials, religious leaders, devout worshippers, and curious tourists departs from Saint Mark’s Cathedral and proceeds across a temporary pontoon bridge installed over the Grand Canal to a special service of thanksgiving for deliverance from the plague held at the Salute.

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