Festa del Redentore

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The Festa del Redentore is an event held in Venice on the third Saturday and Sunday in July.

The Redentore began as a feast to give thanks for the end of the terrible plague of 1576, which killed 50,000 people, including the great painter Tiziano Vecellio (Titian). The Doge Alvise Mocenigo II promised to build a magnificent church if the plague ended. Andrea Palladio was commissioned, assisted by Da Ponte, to build a majestic church on the Island of Giudecca. The church, known as Il Redentore, was consecrated in 1592, and is one of the most important examples of Palladian religious architecture. After the foundation stone was laid, a small wooden church was temporarily built, along with temporary bridge of barges from the Zattere, so that the Doge Sebastian Venier could walk in procession as far as the tabernacle. From that day to the fall of the Venetian republic, the Doge made a pilgrimage to the Church of Redentore every year.

On Saturday, the eve of the festival, fireworks of the most varied colours and shapes - representing a heart, perhaps, or a flower - are let off. Preparations begin early in the morning when people begin to decorate their boats, or the small wooden terraces on rooftops from where they can admire the fireworks. From the early afternoon, Saint Mark's basin fills with up to 2,000 boats of all kinds, festooned with balloons and garlands, and thousands of Venetians await the fireworks while dining on the boats. Around 10 o'clock at night, from pontoons placed nearby the island of San Giorgio, the fireworks begin and Saint Mark's basin becomes one of the most atmospheric stages in the world. The fireworks last for around 45 to 60 minutes, illuminating the night and arousing intense emotions in both Venetians and visitors. Once the fireworks are over, the young people of the city head off to the Lido, where they sit on the sand and wait for dawn.

A bridge of barges is again built from Zattere to Giudecca so that the people can make their pilgrimage to the church. Sunday is devoted to the religious celebrations.

The 2006 festival celebrated the victory of the Italian national soccer team in the World Cup and fireworks in the colours of the Italian flag were let off.