THE "LA SALUTE" CELEBRATIONS

During the celebration days thousand of  believers, citizen and city guest goes on procession from Saint Mark’s square trough a floating bridge to the Church of Salute. The feast celebrates the secular tribute of gratitude that link the Venetians to Mother Mary for her intercession against a plague that almost annihilated the city in 1630-31. the Doge himself prayed Mother Mary to save the city, until then too many citizen died.

As soon the city was saved the Venetians erected a temple as a tribute to Mother Mary, the actual Chiesa della Madonna della Salute, the temple was consecrated on Nov. 9th 1687 then the date postponed definitively to Nov. 21st.

The population and peregrine from abroad  still pay homage going to the church passing the floating bridge specially build for the occasion that spanned trough the grand canal from saint mark’s square to the church. Only few are the Venetians that miss the event believers or not, the feast don’t forget certainly the children: in front of the church and on the surrounding area there are banquets selling candles, sweets and balls or “frittole“ a tipical venetian sweet mostly prepared during carnival.

An atmosphere amongst the sacred and the profane. This year the feast begin on Fri Nov. 19th  with the inauguration of the floating bridge on the grand canal in front of the church the celebrations ends on Mon 21st Nov. 2011.