La Basilica della Salute: a sanctury of art, faith and popular worship.

Documentary looking at the building, art and architecture of the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute in Venice, Italy. The decision to build the church was made in 1630, when Venice was in the midst of a plague epidemic. The Basilica would be an act of devotion to God, in the hope that the plague would subside. The plague did diminish and disappear the following year, after 80,000 people had died in Venice. The Basilica was finished in 1687 and this programme looks in detail at the architecture, designed by Baldassarre Longhena, and the many paintings inside. The annual pilgrimage across the river to the Basilica is seen, as well as archive footage of Papal visits.