Why was Santa Maria della Salute built in Venice?

The Santa Maria della Salute was built in Venice as a votive offering to God in thanksgiving for the city's deliverance from a devastating outbreak of the plague.12

By 1630, the epidemic had decimated one-third of the city's population. In response, the Venetian senate decreed that a new church would be constructed and dedicated to the Virgin Mary if the city were spared from the disease. The project was commissioned by the republic, and the design by Baldassare Longhena was selected following a competition. The church remains a central part of Venetian life, with officials crossing the Grand Canal on a pontoon bridge each year on November 21 for the Festa della Madonna della Salute to commemorate the event.12