Chiesa del Redentore
Open: Mon-Sat: 10-17. €3.
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Throughout its long history, Venice was repeatedly beset by devastating onslaughts of the plague. Two of the city’s most famous churches owe their existence to the once prevailing belief that an attack of the plague was only brought to an end by divine intervention. In the month of July, 1575, a particularly virulent strain of the disease hit the city. By the end of the following year, almost 50,000 people (nearly a third of the population) had died. One of the victims was the elderly painter, Titian. The plague finally left the lagoon in the summer of 1577. In recognition of their salvation, the Venetians immediately commissioned the architect Andrea Palladio to build the Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore (Church of the Most Holy Redeemer) on the Giudecca.
More commonly known simply as Il Redentore, the church was designed in the classical style. It is regarded as one of Palladio's masterpieces. The church sits on a high plinth (ensuring visibility from a distance) and the entrance is reached by climbing fifteen steps. Palladio wanted the 'ascent to be gradual, so that the climbing will bring more devotion.' The design of the façade is based on ancient Roman temples with a giant order of classical columns supporting a pediment. The brightly lit interior takes the form of an aisle-less nave flanked by side chapels. The chancel is flanked by semi-circular transepts. The free-standing high altar is by Giuseppe Mazza. Beyond the chancel is a semi-circular colonnade, beyond which lies the choir. Palladio died in 1580 and the church was completed in 1592 by Antonio da Ponte. To commemorate their deliverance from the plague, the annual Festa del Redentore was also instituted. It took place on the third Sunday of July when the doge and his retinue would proceed to the church via a specially created wooden bridge, which was slung across a chain of boats linking the island of the Giudecca to the main part of the district of Dorsoduro. In the evening, the event would be celebrated with a great display of fireworks. More than five hundred years later, the Festa del Redentore is still a major part of the Venetian calendar. |
Chiesa del Redentore
Interior of the Chiesa del Redentore
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