Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy Sep 27, 2024

Steeped in history, the Santa Maria della Salute church in Venice is a prime example of Baroque architecture. Constructed between 1631 and 1687, the church was a votive offering for the city"s deliverance from a devastating plague in 1630. Built at the entrance to the Grand Canal, its dome dominates the Venice skyline, as seen in today"s image. Italian architect Baldassare Longhena envisioned this structure at the age of 26, and it became his lifelong project, which was completed after his death. The exterior of the church, with its volutes—spiral, scroll-like ornaments—and statues contrasts with the spacious octagonal interior adorned with works by Renaissance artists like Titian and Tintoretto. Each November, Venice commemorates the church"s significance during the Festa della Madonna della Salute, a cultural celebration that includes festive processions and offering of candles in gratitude for deliverance from the plague.

© Bachir Moukarzel/Amazing Aerial Agency

palette

Today in History

Sep 27, 2023French River, Ontario, Canada
Sep 27, 2024Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Sep 27, 2025Tank Lakes, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 11, 2025Peña Falcon rock, Monfragüe National Park, Spain
Jul 19, 2024A young jaguar, Pantanal, Brazil
Jan 6, 2024A male chaffinch in a crab apple tree
Nov 7, 2025Polar bear in Canada
Feb 3, 2024Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Jun 16, 2025Sea turtle, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
May 5, 2025Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
Aug 27, 2025Sørvágsvatn lake, island of Vágar, Faroe Islands
May 12, 2025An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
Feb 23, 2024Haghartsin Monastery, Armenia
Dec 25, 2023Reindeer running in snow
Mar 28, 2024Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China
Aug 23, 2023Skógafoss waterfall, Iceland
Jan 14, 2026Fortress of Palamidi, Nafplio, Greece
Jan 15, 2025Pointe du Diable, Saint-Pierre, Réunion Island
Dec 1, 2024Icebergs, Antarctica
May 9, 2025Common chameleon
Apr 26, 2025Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada
Apr 4, 2025National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC, United States
Nov 16, 2024Wadden Sea coast, Friesland, Netherlands
Mar 25, 2024Tulip fields in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 21, 2024Eurasian red squirrel
Jul 21, 2024Kendwa village, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Apr 16, 2025Kachina Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
Apr 29, 2025Garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
Sep 23, 2023Coyote Gulch, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah, USA
Jul 30, 2024San Gimignano, Siena, Italy
Nov 13, 2023Serra de Tramuntana, Balearic Islands, Majorca, Spain
Dec 17, 2023Bohemian waxwings
Dec 5, 2025Maya site of Copán, Honduras