Festa della Madonna della Salute
The Festa della Madonna della Salute is an annual celebration in Venice on November 21st to commemorate the end of the heavy plague waves of 1630 and 1631. On a similar occasion, out of gratitude for being liberated from the plague of 1575 until 1577, the Redentore Festival takes place on the 3rd Sunday of July .
The core is a procession of thanks to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute . To make this possible, a wooden bridge is being built over the Grand Canal , which connects the Punta della Dogana , the former customs office of the Republic of Venice , with the Church of Santa Maria del Giglio .
The number of plague deaths rose so strongly in 1630 that the city called the entire remaining population to a procession that lasted three days and three nights. The Doge promised on October 22nd, 1630 to build a particularly beautiful and radiant church for the redemption from the epidemic. After most of the previous waves of plague, the dreaded disease was absent for several years or decades, but returned in 1631. Mortality decreased, but it wasn't until November 1631 that the plague finally disappeared. Overall, more than a quarter of the population fell victim to the plague, probably almost 50,000 residents. Perhaps 100,000 fell victim to her in the territory of Venice.
The first procession of thanksgiving took place on November 28, 1631. Since then, numerous customs have developed for this holiday, such as traditional dishes such as the castradina .
The contract to build the promised church went to Baldassare Longhena , who designed an octagonal building with a grandiose dome. The building was consecrated on November 21, 1687.
literature
- Carla Boccato: Testimonianze ebraiche sulla peste del 1630 a Venezia. In: La rassegna mensile di Israel. Volume 41, 1975, pp. 458-467.
- Venezia e la Peste. 1348-1797. Exhibition catalog, Venice 1980.