The Santa Maria della Salute church in Venice is steeped in history. As a plague devastated the city in 1630, its leader, Doge Nicolò Contarini, vowed to build a majestic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary if the city was spared. In 1631 the epidemic ended, and construction began. The church, built in the Baroque style, was completed around 50 years later, a lifelong project for architect Baldassare Longhena.
Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Australian baobab tree, Kimberley region, Western Australia
-
Native American Heritage Month
-
Remembering the Arizona
-
Not your average sandcastle
-
Burrowing owls
-
National Love a Tree Day
-
Wicker fields in Cañamares, Spain
-
Black History Month
-
Classical music takes center stage
-
Mute swans
-
Group of giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, South Australia
-
Dance of the egret
-
Shining like Klondike gold
-
Chinese New Year
-
What’s blooming in New Zealand?
-
National Moth Week
-
Falling for the Canadian Rockies
-
World Reef Awareness Day
-
Taiwan yuhinas in Alishan National Scenic Area
-
Spring comes to Glacier National Park
-
Celebrating whales—and a whale of a tale
-
Welcome to Scotland s garden
-
A sizzling summit hides in the clouds
-
Sundance Film Festival opens in Park City
-
A unique perspective from Italy’s ‘golden sands’
-
Busy building wetlands
-
World Rhinoceros Day
-
Vatican City with St. Peters Basilica
-
Guilin and Lijiang River National Park, China
-
International Womens Day
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

