Madonna della Salute Festivity

On November 21st Venetians celebrate the Feast of the Madonna della Salute

The Feast of the Madonna della Salute is one of the traditional Venetian festivities and is celebrated every year on November 21st.

It commemorates the thanks of the entire city to the Madonna for the end of a terrible plague that struck Venice between 1630 and 1631, an epidemic also described by Alessandro Manzoni in its Promessi Sposi book.

Having no weapons to defeat her, the Doge and the Patriarch asked for divine help, organizing a procession of prayers to the Madonna for three consecutive days and nights and vowing to erect a votive temple if the city had survived.

Luckily, in November 1631 the epidemic subsided: the promises were followed by setting up an annual thanksgiving procession and building the famous Basilica della Salute in the territory of the Dogana da Mar.

The votive bridge of the Madonna della Salute

Every year Venetians usually go to the Madonna della Salute church to pay homage and pray. To facilitate the pilgrimage, a temporary bridge on boats is set up between Santa Maria del Giglio and Punta della Dogana, joining the Sestiere di San Marco with that of Dorsoduro respectively.

The bridge remains open for a few days to facilitate the flow of the faithful.

Tradition and cuisine: the castradina

The Basilica della Salute on the occasion of this holiday extends its opening hours. In the square there are stands where you can buy candles to pay homage to the Madonna, as well as sweets, balloons and games for children.

Tradition also says that a typical dish is tasted in homage to the Dalmatians, who during the period of isolation due to the great plague were the only ones to supply the city with food: the "Castradina", a tasty soup made from salted, smoked and then seasoned mutton leg with cabbage and onions.