Santa Maria della Salute and its surroundings… Venice

#EuropeanTravel #Venice #Italy #Santa Maria della Salute Around 1630, about a third of the entire population of Venice was wiped out by the Black Death. The Venetian Republic's Council declared that if the Republic was saved from the Black Death, they would build a new church and dedicate it to the Virgin Mary. To keep this promise, a design competition was held for a year, and among the twelve designs, an architect whose name had never been heard before was finally chosen. Thus, Santa Maria della Salute was completed in 1682, a year before Baldassare Longhena (1598-1682) passed away. The huge double-domed basilica stands at the intersection of the Grand Canal and the Bay of San Marco. As you approach by gondola, you can see the domes, like balloons, pinned to the façade and wide porch by huge Baroque scrolls. Adding to the grandeur of the building are the white stone steps on wooden stakes leading to the entrance, which is modeled after a Roman triumphal arch. The platform, made of over 100,000 wooden stakes, prevents the octagonal foundation of brick and stone from sinking into the Grand Canal. The magnificent octagonal interior, divided by the same number of columns as the arches, has a Byzantine feel due to the borders of the architectural elements using color.