Blog > Madonna della Salute
The Feast of the Madonna della Salute; was born after one of the largest epidemics of bubonic plague in 1630, the same epidemic told by Alessandro Manzoni in the Promessi Sposi.
The plague caused the death of over a quarter of the population and as for the Feast of the Redeemer the Venetians made a solemn vow to Our Lady that if the city survived the epidemic, they would erect a temple in her honor. In the following weeks the infections decreased and the Republic built the current Basilica of Madonna della Salute (1631).
The construction of the Basilica lasted for more than fifty years and the project was entrusted to Baldassarre Longhena. Even today it is considered one of the most beautiful expressions of the Baroque.
Every year, on November 21st the Salute is celebrated, the faithful reach the Basilica and light a candle in honor of Our Lady.
FOCUS ON!
The typical dish of the Festa della Salute is the "Castradina", a soup made of cabbage, onion, wine and salted and smoked mutton leg.