Visiting a Plague Church during a Pandemic - The Feast of the Madonna della Salute, Venice 2020 - Featuring Baldassare Longhena's High Altar

Madonna della Salute 2020 - Photo: Cat Bauer

(Venice, Italy) No blazing candles. No pontoon bridge. No balloons for the children, or sweets from the South of Italy. We can only imagine the discussions that went on as to how to celebrate the Feast of the Madonna della Salute this November 21st -- the day when Venice gives thanks for deliverance from the plague -- in a year restricted by a global pandemic. 

 

Normally, thousands of Venetians pour across a pontoon bridge that stretches across the Grand Canal from the Gritti Palace over to the Dorosoduro side. This year, pedestrian traffic was steered in a one-way direction through the Dorsoduro Museum Mile until you arrived in the Campo della Salute. Along the way, you could buy votive candles as usual -- but this year the eager masses waiting to have their wicks set ablaze inside the church was restricted. Instead, upon reaching the campo, you got in line and waited to enter through the front door of the church. The line moved quickly enough, and everyone was respectful. It goes without saying that everybody was required to wear masks indoors and out -- that is a rule throughout Italy.

Once inside, you placed your candles in wooden boxes scattered throughout the interior of the church "as a votive gift that will become a work of charity and support for families in economic difficulty." The magnificent rose mosaic was cordoned off, so I got my annual Beam-Me-Up-Scotty power charge not by standing in the center, but from a short distance away.

Church of Madonna della Salute on Nov. 21, 2020 - Photo: Cat Bauer

In 1630, Venice was raging with the plague, which, we now know, was caused by a bacteria, as opposed to COVID-19, which is caused by a virus. On October 22, 1630, the Venetian Senate decreed that in order to give thanks for the liberation of Venice from the plague that had wiped out a third of the population, they would build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, under whose protection Venice was founded on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 421. 

 

Once inside, you could sit in the pews to pray, which I did. I contemplated the high altar, which was designed by Baldassare Longhena, as was the Church of Madonna della Salute itself. The impressive marble statues were carved by the Flemish sculptor, Josse de Corte.

 

High altar of the Church of Madonna della Salute - Photo: Cat Bauer

 

What fascinates me about the 17th-century high altar is that the females are the ones enacting the scene, and the males, Saint Mark, Venice's patron saint, and Saint Lorenzo Giustiniani, who was the first Patriarch of Venice, are only onlookers to the drama going on over their heads.

In the center of the altar stands the Virgin, holding the infant Christ, surrounded by cherubs. To her right, Venice, in the form of a beautiful young woman, is on her knees, pleading for help. To the left of the Virgin is a gruesome old woman, who represents the plague. A torch held by a cherub burns into the old woman's side; her arms flail as she teeters towards the edge. The Virgin does not even glance at the old woman. The expression on the Virgin's face is one of quiet confidence that the black death will be vanquished. The entire scene is supported by caryatid angels, which are sculptured female figures used as columns. 

 

Below the Virgin, in the center of the altar, is the star of the show, the Byzantine Black Madonna, whose powerful energy has attracted the faithful for centuries. The Panagia Mesopantitisa -- Madonna the Mediator -- was brought to Venice from Crete by Doge Francesco Morosini after the War of Candia with the Ottoman Turks.

 

Despite the restricted nature of the celebration this year, the spiritual elements were firmly in place. They say that Longhena's design of the church may have been inspired by a woodcutting in the mysterious Renaissance book Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. To me, simply entering the Church of the Madonna della Salute and communing with the Panagia Mesopantitisa is enough to boost one's immune system for another year. 

The only element I really missed was the lighting of the candles, so afterwards I went to the Church of Santo Stefano, where Francesco Morosini is buried, and lit a candle in front of the Madonna there.

 

I've written about the Feast of the Madonna della Salute many times before. My post from 2013 will give you an idea what the celebration is like in normal times:

 

Festa of the Madonna della Salute in Venice

 

Wishing everyone good health, vitality and compassion.

 

Ciao from Venezia,

Cat Bauer

Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

One Year After the Venice Flood - Yes, Walter Mutti's Newsstand is Back!

The Zattere during acqua alta - Photo: Cat Bauer

 

(Venice, Italy) One year ago, on the night of November 12, 2019, Venice was barraged by rising tides and whipped by winds of more than 75 miles per hour. Walter Mutti's newsstand struggled to remain upright in its perilous position on the Zattere, the main promenade that runs along the Giudecca Canal. Even though it was constructed from heavy steel, Walter's edicola was no match for the forces of nature. The violent winds knocked the newsstand over. The crashing waves swept it into the tumultuous waters. Walter's edicola, a local landmark for both Venetians and tourists, ended up on the bottom of the Giudecca Canal.

 

Walter's edicola in the flood

Walter had tried to salvage what he could from the newsstand that had been in his family for 25 years, but was forced to surrender to the powers of Mother Nature. In desperation, he had tweeted a photo of his edicola uprooted by the swirling waters with the caption "aiutoooooo" which means "Help!!!!!!"

 

Over on the mainland, Carlo Gardan, whose Twitter handle is @LordOfVenice, felt compelled to take action. He had never actually met Walter Mutti, but they followed each other on Twitter. Carlo immediately set up a "Go Fund Me" account which raised over €20,000 in 48 hours from small donations both locally and all over the globe. As images of a flooded, devastated Venice flashed across social media, Walter's simple newsstand personalized the tragedy and struck a chord in the heart of humanity. In contrast to the 1966 flood when Venice was completely isolated from the rest of the world for 22 hours, this time, thanks to the Internet, the city remained connected. The generous response was humanity at its best.

Walter Mutti & Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte

 

Giuseppe Conte, the Prime Minister of Italy, arrived in Venice on November 14th. Conte tweeted a photo of himself and Walter with the caption: "Walter Mutti has lost his newsstand, submerged by the rush of the waters. This morning I met him in the Prefecture in #Venezia: I listened to his words of pain, like many other Venetian citizens who have come to me. The Government is supportive and present, no one will be alone."

 

Last winter it seemed like the acqua alta would never end. Day after day the wail of the high water siren pierced the air as a weary city braced for another day of mopping out homes and drying out shops. There was a feeling of community as residents lent each other a helping hand, but also fury that MOSE, the flood barrier that was supposed to protect Venice from acqua alta, did not function after being mired in political corruption, with decades of work and billions of euro seemingly sucked into a vast black hole.

Walter's edicola emerges from the Giudecca Canal - Photo: Cat Bauer

 

At the beginning of December, divers from Venice's Fire Department found Walter's newsstand submerged in the Guidecca Canal. Luigi Brugnaro, the Mayor of Venice, declared that the edicola would be the "tangible symbol of a city that does not give up and is reborn." On an overcast December 6th, I joined a small crowd as we watched the newsstand emerge from the dark waters. It did feel like the edicola might represent a glimmer of hope. Slowly, slowly, life began to return to normal -- by the time Christmas season arrived, a great effort had been made to have carols and twinkling lights decorate Piazza San Marco, and importantly, locals had returned to the main square.

Then on February 23, 2020, Venice again was thrust into the international spotlight when Carnival was abruptly cancelled two days early due to a mysterious new virus that was sweeping the planet. The amount of visitors to Venice had already been greatly reduced after the winter floods. In the early morning hours of March 8, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that the entire nation of Italy would be quarantined -- the first country in the West to go into hibernation. Venice had not yet completely recovered from the flood, and was now hit by the lockdown. For a city whose main industry was tourism, it was another calamitous blow.

 

With everyone confined to their homes, and tourists forbidden to travel, the streets of Venice were eerily void of people while, at the same time, something magical happened -- nature flourished. The waters and canals became so still and clear that frolicking fish and other underwater creatures were visible. It was as if Mother Nature had shut down the entire frenetic enterprise that had been based on overtourism and consumption. Using weapons of the gods -- first with the flood and then with the plague -- Mother Nature claimed back the lagoon.

Newsstands were one of the few businesses that were allowed to remain open during the lockdown, but how would Walter sell his wares without his edicola? Thanks to the Don Orione Institute, a Christian charity, Walter was granted the use of a small space next to the location of his newsstand in order to stay in business. 

In May, Venice slowly emerged from hibernation, blinking her eyes, gauging the scene. First, visitors from the Veneto region arrived in town, followed by other Italian regions, then by most of Europe. Americans could not travel to Venice without a valid reason to come here -- a rule that remains in effect to this day. By summer, life had almost returned to normal.

 

Walter Mutti & Carlo Gardan

 

On the sunny afternoon of August 10, 2020, Walter held a small, local gathering to finally celebrate the re-opening of his edicola, which had been completely restored with the donations from the Go Fund Me campaign and money allotted by the government. I was there, and met Carlo Gardan, the man behind the @LordOfVenice social media account who had initiated the fundraiser. Thanks to the combined efforts of ordinary people and powerful institutions, Walter Mutti's newsstand had been lifted out of the water and placed back on its feet.

Venice, Italy - Photo: Cat Bauer

 

On October 3, 2020, Venice experienced its first exceptional high tide of the season. To the astonishment and joy of Venetians, MOSE, the flood barrier, actually held back the tide! It is a temporary solution to a complex problem with much more work to be done, but it provides a breath of air to a city that was drowning.

 

If there is a message that can be delivered by the salvation of Walter's edicola, it might be that the human spirit can accomplish great things when we use our collective power for the forces of good. That the majestic city of Venice continues to exist inside her watery home after 1,600 years is a testament to impossible dreams coming true. At the time I write this, the planet is again being challenged by a surge of COVID-19. Let us hope that Venice and the world do not fall back into the destructive patterns of the past, but find new, creative ways to move forward to the future.

Ciao from Venezia,

Cat Bauer

Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

Mystical Hallowmass Season in Venice during the Blue Moon

San Michele, Venice's Island of the Dead - Photo: Cat Bauer

(Venice, Italy) A heavy mist engulfed Venice on All Hallows' Eve, adding a mystical element to the Hallowmass season. Enhanced by the light of the full Blue Moon, the air was so thick that it seemed to swirl with the phantoms of the ancestors. Now is the time of their annual journey through the veil that divides the realm of the dead from the world of the living.

 

San Michele, the cemetery island, is where Venice buries her dead. Each year thousands of Venetians make the pilgrimage to tend the tombs of their families, friends and loved ones. The ancient Christian festival to honor the dead includes All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween on October 31; All Hallows' Day, or All Saints' Day on November 1; and All Souls' Day, or the Day of the Dead on November 2. It is a time to reinforce the spiritual bond with those who have gone before.

 

Dante's Barque by Georgy Frangulyan - Photo: Cat Bauer

 

The vaporetto that carries the living to the island of the dead passes by "Dante's Barque," the haunting bronze sculpture that Russian artist Georgy Frangulyan created after he saw a vision of Virgil and Dante standing in a boat on the water of the lagoon. This year, Dante's outstretched arm pointed through the dense calìgo to an otherworldly island blanketed in a white cloud, an island where souls could easily slip from one dimension to another. I wrote about the sculpture last year when a floating bridge connected the Island of San Michele to Fondamenta Nuove, a bridge which has not been constructed in these coronavirus times. Follow the link to read the post: 

Honoring Death in Venice - A Bridge Across the Lagoon

 

Surrounded by cypress trees and birdsong, freshening up the graves of the ancestors with flowers and candles is like having a conversation with the wise minds of the past. Venice can seem supernatural even on sunny days, but when the town is immersed in fog the connection to another level of existence feels more powerful. It almost seemed as if the phantoms of the ancestors had managed to visit the Rialto Bridge...

A foggy Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge - Photo: Cat Bauer

 

"What thou lovest well remains,

the rest is dross

What thou lov'est well will not be reft from thee

What thou lov'est well is your true heritage."

---Ezra Pound, The Pisan Cantos

Ezra Pound is buried in the Evangelical section of San Michele next to his long-time companion, Olga Rudge.

 

Ciao from Venezia,

Cat Bauer

Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog