Chiesa del Redentore, Venice

Il Redentore is the church before you, created by Andrea Palladio as a votive thank-offering after Venice survived a devastating plague outbreak. The plague struck between 1575 and 1576, killing about 46,000 people, and the Senate commissioned Palladio to design this church in gratitude for the city’s deliverance. The cornerstone was laid on 3 May 1577, and the building was consecrated in 1592.

Palladio’s design uses a single nave with three chapels on either side, rather than the square plan the Senate had requested. Notice the broad façade and the dome crowned by a statue of the Redeemer. Its entrance is reached by 15 steps, deliberately recalling the Temple of Jerusalem and turning the ascent into part of the devotional experience.

The church’s architectural style is Renaissance architecture, and Palladio’s classical façade is built from carefully measured relationships. Inside, the nave joins a domed crossing, with an uninterrupted Corinthian order running around the interior. Paintings here include works by Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, and Francesco Bassano. Each year, the Festa del Redentore brings a procession over a specially built pontoon bridge from the Zattere to Giudecca, continuing a tradition that began with the Venetian doge and senators.