Sighs Bridge: where is located, legends, interesting facts

An ancient city on the water is considered a real open-air museum. Filled with romance and mystical legends, he has long become a real legend, in which all couples are dreaming to be. The special atmosphere of the fabulous Venice, inspired by the sea air and elusive charm, gives birth to unique emotions that remain forever in the memory.

Where is the Bridge of Sighs?

A mysterious city, entirely consisting of amazing architectural masterpieces, is especially proud of the bridges that have become elegant symbols of Venice and have uniqueness. There are about 400 of them, and each of them keeps an ancient history.

Sighing Bridge, located on St. Mark's Square, passes through the stunningly beautiful Palace Canal - the world's most famous Venetian landmark. Built in the beginning of the XVII century, a legendary historical monument connected the court, which was in the building of the Doge's Palace, and an old prison.

Unusual design

A beautiful bridge of white limestone was erected by the Venetian Antonio Conti - a descendant of the famous dynasty of architects. Decorated with sculptural compositions and openwork carvings, Sighs Bridge has an unusual design: it is one of those few structures that have walls and a semicircular roof.

This external structure was explained by its original purpose - the transfer of prisoners from the courthouse to the prison cells, and even the windows that emerged on both sides were covered with patterned marble bars. However, one convict still managed to make a daring escape from the gloomy casemate, in which he stayed for a year and a half, and he turned out to be the famous for the whole world with his love adventures, the swindler Giacomo Casanova.

Grace of a structure

Heavy bridge, sustained in the Baroque style, looks not at all a heavy construction, but very elegant and visually easy. The powerful walls are decorated with exquisite pilasters depicting columns.

In the heart of the bridge, the architect placed a sculpture of the heavenly patron of ancient Venice, and next to it is a stone winged lion, which is a symbol of the city on the water. By the way, near the bridge there is St. Mark's Cathedral, recommended for visiting all tourists , storing the relics of the apostle.

Bridge of Sighs in Venice: legend number 1

It is with its location that the beautiful name of the covered bridge is connected, although the legend proposed by Lord Byron is too far from romantic stories. It was believed that the sighs were emitted by unfortunate convicts, passing the last path from the court building where sentences were pronounced, to the terrible casemates of the prison, in which many of them remained forever.

Throwing sad glances through small windows with bars to the channel of beautiful Venice, those sentenced to death or long imprisonment grieved over their ruined fate.

True, to be quite accurate, the ancient myth does not reflect the whole truth: at the time when Bridge was being built, there were no cruel executions and tortures, there were small scammers in prisons, and the view of Venice from the stone windows was not so Is beautiful.

Romantic legend No. 2

Therefore, there is another fairytale, inspired by the fantasies of Venetian guides and supported by pairs of people who are forming in line, dreaming to find a family happiness forever. Romantic history says that these are the sighs of all the happy lovers, whose hearts, filled with frenzied passion, beat in unison.

A fictional legend tells of an amazing phenomenon of a historical structure: if you ride a gondola under a bridge, when the sun hides behind the horizon, and kiss hard, the feelings of loving people will never fade. If you really tell the truth, such beautiful legends are composed of other bridges of Venice, for example, about the beautiful and elegant Rialto.

The artwork original in art

Now it's even strange to hear that once this not the most popular bridge in Venice wanted to be demolished. It was believed that the baroque style does not fit into the nearby urban architectural landmarks. As the Italians themselves say, Sighs Bridge survived only because its amazing air beauty inspired many writers and poets to create literary creations, but not only them.

Famous artists, delighted with the original design, imprinted it in their works. After that, the locals looked completely different eyes on the legendary Bridge of Sighs. Italy, by the way, is not the only country in which there is a structure of such an unusual design.

But the thing is that such covered buildings, but having other forms, will always be associated exclusively with the Venetian landmark, which is such a bridge.