As you enter the Grand Canal, the first thing you’ll see is the church of the “Madonna della Salute”. In the 17th century the Black Death ravaged cities across Europe, and had quickly wiped out two-thirds of Venice’s population. When the Plague was finally over the Doge of Venice decided to build a church in honour of the Madonna as a thanksgiving token. And so the task of building it went to Baldassare Longhena, who was only 26 at the time, and would become the most important baroque architect in Italy.
The first thing that strikes a viewer is how imposing the church is, strategically placed at the entrance of the Grand Canal, looking onto the rest of the city in every direction, and especially placedin direct opposition to the Basilica of Saint Mark’s.
Longhena chose the circular shape with the intention of offering a crown to the Madonna, with all its statues, buttresses and scrolls magnifying the pomposity of its architecture.
Today, ever 21 November the city celebrates the Madonna della Salute in memory of the end of the plague, a religious occasion which is reality a special occasion for the people to celebrate an all-Venetian event with a small funfair in the piazza outside the church.
