Santa Maria della Salute, Minor basilica in Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy.
Santa Maria della Salute is a basilica in Dorsoduro, at the entrance to the Grand Canal in Venice. The octagonal plan carries two domes that rest on marble figures and are visible from far across the water.
The Venetian Senate decided on construction in 1631 after the plague ended, which had killed a third of the population. Work continued until 1687 and followed the design of Baldassare Longhena.
The name refers to health and thanksgiving, a memory of deliverance from plague. Each November, Venetians cross a pontoon bridge to the church to light candles and take part in this feast.
The church opens daily from 9 AM to noon and from 3 PM to 5:30 PM. You can reach it on water bus lines 1 and 2, which stop at Salute.
Over a million wooden piles support the foundation under the water. They were driven into the lagoon bed to carry the weight of the two domes and the marble.
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