Venezi | Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute

Santa Maria della Salute (also known as Chiesa della Salute or simply La Salute) is a votive basilica in Venetian Baroque style, designed by Baldassare Longhena. Like the churches of the Redentore and San Rocco, the basilica was built as a sign of thanksgiving to the Madonna by the Venetians for the liberation from the plague that decimated the population between 1630 and 1631. It is characterized by the octagonal internal plan and by the large dome that dominates the final stretch of the Grand Canal and overlooks St. Mark’s Basilica.