Built in thanksgiving for deliverance from plague, the Basilica della Salute is one of Venice’s most beautiful and storied churches.
The dome of the Basilica della Salute has characterized the scenery of the San Marco basin in Venice for more than three hundred years. The Basilica is vast and bright. It serves as a thank you to the Virgin Mother of God for preserving the city from the terrible plague. In October of 1630, the plague killed nearly a third of Venice’s 150,000 citizens. The Venetian Senate finally made an offer to God. “Stop the plague, and we’ll build a church to honor the Virgin Mary”. Undeniably, the plague was stopped in its tracks.
