There are moments in Venice when the past rises to the surface. Not as a memory, but as a living gesture—solemn, precise, quietly unfolding before those who still know how to look. One such moment is the Festa della Sensa, celebrated every year on Ascension Day, when the city renews one of its oldest and most meaningful rituals: its mystical marriage to the sea.
A thousand-year-old tradition
The year is 1000. Doge Pietro II Orseolo sets sail at the head of a Venetian fleet to aid the Christian communities of Dalmatia, threatened by Slavic incursions. His expedition is not just military—it is a political act that affirms Venice’s growing influence across the Adriatic.
Nearly two centuries later, in 1177, another Doge—Sebastiano Ziani—welcomes Pope Alexander III and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to Venice. After years of conflict, peace is finally signed on Venetian soil. In gratitude, the Pope offers the Doge a golden ring, a symbol of Venice’s eternal bond with the sea.
From these two historical moments, a ritual was born that Venice has repeated every year since: The Marriage of the Sea.
A ritual of the Republic
The gesture is simple, yet filled with meaning: a golden ring cast into the sea, accompanied by the Latin words «Desponsamus te, mare. In signum veri perpetuique dominii» — “We wed thee, O sea, as a symbol of true and everlasting dominion.”
In the days of the Republic, the protagonist was the Doge himself. Wearing a golden robe, the ducal horn, red stockings, and ornate slippers, he would board the splendid Bucintoro, the ceremonial ship of state, and lead a majestic procession from St. Mark’s Basin to the Lido. There, at the mouth of the lagoon, the ritual unfolded: a mass, the blessing of the waters, holy water poured into the sea, a branch of olive as an aspergillum, and finally, the ring.
It was a gesture that united power and faith, politics and devotion. But above all, it was a declaration of love—and of belonging—to the sea that had always shaped, defended, and inspired Venice.
The Sensa today
Much has changed, and yet the soul of the celebration remains untouched. Today, it is the city itself that revives the tradition. The Festa della Sensa Committee, along with the Venetian Rowing Associations, has brought the event back to life for over twenty-five years.
The procession still begins in St. Mark’s Basin. At its head is the “Serenissima”, a ceremonial boat that now replaces the Bucintoro. On board are the city’s civic authorities, who still perform the ancient rite. Following behind are dozens of traditional rowing boats, guided by oarsmen in historical attire, gliding quietly across the lagoon.
It’s a Venice that looks at itself in the mirror and recognizes its true face. A city that tells its story not through words, but through gestures: slow, deliberate, and full of meaning. No spectacle, no performance—just a ritual that lives because it still matters.
A quiet invitation
For those visiting Venice, witnessing the Sensa is a rare privilege. It’s not an event promoted in tourist brochures or on crowded itineraries—it’s a celebration kept alive by those who love the city, a secret that reveals itself only to those who seek it.
Our advice? Wake up early. Walk down to the water’s edge in St. Mark’s or the Lido. Listen to the oars dipping into the water, watch the boats appear, read the quiet pride in the rowers’ faces. And when the ring is finally released into the sea, allow yourself to feel—just for a moment—that time in Venice can truly stand still.
