Feast of the Redeemer, a double show and symbolic representation in Venice

18 July 2018

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Venice is always magical, but during the feast of the Redeemer everything becomes surreal and the city offers two spectacular performances: one on water and one in the sky.

This recurrence is celebrated on the third Sunday of July and is much loved by the people of Venice, one that they never miss and that has its roots in distant times.

 

The end of the dark period of the black death is traditionally celebrated every year with much excitement and joy. Between 1575 and 1577, the plague devastated the Queen of the Maritime Republics by taking the lives of fifty thousand people.
According to history, in 1576 the Senate of the Serenissima, convinced that pestilence was a form of divine punishment, decided to entrust Andrea Palladio with the construction of a votive temple dedicated to the Most Holy Redeemer in order to appease the divine wrath and stop the decline of the city and its inhabitants.
So, in July 1577, the plague was defeated and the joy at the end of this epidemic led to the creation of a feast that, still today, brings with it a sense of mysticism and fascination.

 

The Redeemer, once a much more Christian festival, is now the symbol of being togetherand of having fun in Venice. Sunday is dedicated entirely to the Redeemer, but the festival starts on Saturday evening when a bridge supported by 34 boats and 330 metres long, is built at sunset to allow pilgrims to reach the votive church on the island of Giudecca. Also at sunset, and even more captivating, is what happens in the basin of San Marco. Hundreds of boats gather in front of the Basilica while merry-makers party together with lots of singing, dancing, typical dishes, good food and wine, before viewing a spectacularfirework display at midnight on the surface of the water, illuminating the sky and creating the double show between the starry night sky and the water of the lagoon.

An atmosphere of great celebration and joy prevails. Every corner of Venice is filled with revellers. Among the alleys and fields the most romantic city of all time does not stop. On this night, few people will rest their heads on their pillow, because it is a time to celebrate the end of a dark period while waiting for the dawn of a new beginning, perhaps at the Lido or on some foundation that turns its gaze towards the rising sun.

 

Sunday is the day that celebrates the most sacred part of this feast. In the afternoon the great event moves to the Grand Canal with the Regattas of the Redeemer and ends in the evening with the celebration of the Holy Votive Mass on the island of Giudecca.

These are the 24 hours of the Redeemer: an entire day where history and tradition come together in true Venetian spirit to create a feast that is unique in the world. An inimitable event that evokes distant times but that is still alive in the heart of the Venetians.

 

Salvadori, the historic Diamond Atelier, knows the history of Venice because our boutique has always been an active participant. Every year the air of celebration and joy invades each of us, giving life to sensations and emotions that allow us to create unique and inimitable jewellery pieces, the symbol of a city impervious to the passage of time.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]