This huge, ornate church dedicated to the Virgin Mary is said to confer good health on all those who worship there.
The Basilica of St Mary of Health gets its unusual name from the circumstances of its founding in 1630 as a plea to the Virgin Mary to deliver the city from a plague epidemic. Ever since, Venetians have referred to the basilica as “La Salute”. Its construction on a spit between St Mark’s Basin and the Grand Canal was beset with problems due to the unstable muddy foundations, necessitating complex wooden piling which delayed its completion for over fifty years.A statue of Mary still keeps a watchful eye from the top of the octagonal building, surveying its gleaming surfaces of Istrian stone rendered with a compound of marble and lime known as marmorino. Statues of the four evangelists greet the visitor on the approach to the main façade, while the ornate interior contains many famous works of art, including Tintoretto’s Marriage at Cana in the Great Sacristy and ceiling paintings by Titian. The domes are decorated with scenes from the Bible and the walls display many fine examples of ecclesiastical art.The Virgin Mary is also honoured in the design of the church itself, with the dome symbolising her crown and the interior representing her womb, while a notable Byzantine statue of the Madonna and Child adorns the high altar. Each November 21, thousands of Venetians celebrate the annual Festa della Madonna della Salute with a pilgrimage to the church to pray to the Virgin for good health for themselves and their families.The Basilica of St Mary of Health is open every day and is easily accessible by vaporetto (water bus) entry to the church is free but there is a small charge to visit the sacristy.
