Santa Maria della Salute, Minor basilica in Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy.
Santa Maria della Salute is located in Dorsoduro, right at the entrance of the Grand Canal. Its octagonal shape and two domes make it stand out from all angles of the lagoon. The church is built on more than a million wooden posts driven into the soft ground. This hidden foundation supports the weight of the marble and the domes. It was built between 1631 and 1687 after the end of the plague. It is a stone vow to those who survived. Every November, Venetians cross a floating bridge to light candles and remember this period.
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 is open every day from 9 am to noon and from 3 pm to 5:30 pm. You can reach it by vaporetto 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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