Festa del Redentore 2022

Festa del Redentore 2022 (Feast of the Redeemer 2022), one of the most important events in the Venetian calendar, will take place in the weekend of July 16-17, 2022, in Venice.

Every year since the 16th century, the feast is celebrated in the third weekend of July. At first, Festa del Redentore was a purely religious event, but over the centuries profane elements were added to the religious manifestations, and today the celebration includes a party, a regatta and one of the most impressive fireworks display in the world.

SHORT HISTORY

Between 1575 and 1577, a merciless plague killed about one-third of Venice’s population. The epidemic spread rapidly throughout the city and was difficult to control due to the precarious conditions in which the people lived and to a high density of population.

INTERESTING FACT: One of the victims of the 1576 epidemic was the painter Titian (Tiziano Vecellio). He died on August 27, 1576, and was interred in the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.

In 1576, the Venetian Senate commissioned a church dedicated to Jesus the Redeemer (Il Redentore), hoping to get rid of the disease. A year later, in July, the city was declared cured, and the Venetians initiated a new celebration called Festa del Redentore.

Today, on this occasion, a bridge is built across the Giudecca Canal, between Zattere and the Giudecca Island. The people cross the bridge in a short pilgrimage to the beautiful church of Andrea Palladio, Il Redentore.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

On the first day of the feast, a great party is held, completed in the evening by a spectacular fireworks display. The second day of the feast, Sunday, is reserved for religious service and for the Regata del Redentore (Regatta of the Redeemer), a race of typical Venetian boats.

July 16, Saturday:

• 7.00 pm, the opening of the Thanksgiving Bridge, which connects Zattere to the Church of Il Redentore, on the Giudecca Island;
• 11.30 pm, fireworks display in Saint Mark’s Basin.

July 17, Sunday:

• from 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm, the Regatta of the Redeemer (Regata del Redentore), on the Giudecca Canal;
• 7.00 pm – Votive Mass at the Church of Il Redentore, on the Giudecca island.