The Patriarchal Church of St Mark or San Marco, the church of gold is one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. It had been the private chapel of the Doge of Venice for 1000 years and was not the city's cathedral until 1807....talk about being selfish! Decided to do a post on San Marco because of the post on the Hagia Sophia, because at the end of the day, you wouldn't have San Marco without it's mama [ at least in material and treasure] Sophia.
The first San Marco was a temporary building in the Dodges Palace constructed in 828. Every city needed a major relic, so the Venetians went shopping and shoplifted the supposed relics of St Mark the Evangelist in 832....seems they smuggled it out of Alexandria in a basket of pork. There's a nice mosaic in one of the spandrels showing this. It seems they were afraid that someone would come and steal them back so they hid the relics in one of the columns...but forgot which one....some time later they showed themselves and were moved under the alter. The large campanile dates from this time. After a few burnings in 976 and 78 the present basilica was built in 1063. The higher domes were added in 1094 when the Dodges Palace got a gothic facelift.
What started off as a chapel became quite a large building modeled on Constantine's Church of the Apostles with quite a bit of treasure from th east. Most of the treasury comes directly from The Hagia Sophia and Constantinople. Hardly a ship arrived in Venice without a few columns, marble slabs or sculptures taken from some ancient building.
Although the facade seems Gothic, the building and interiors are Byzantine.
Side view of the domes
Mosaics in the vestibule
Most if not all of the ceilings are covered in bright gold mosaics.
Most if not all of the ceilings are covered in bright gold mosaics.
One of the apse with Christ Panocrator and the apsotles.
Looking into the main space to the nave and high altar
A reflection of the Dome of the Hagia Sophia
The pulpit to the side of the main altar with stolen columns.
Marble slabs stolen from the Hagia Sophia and other ancient buildings cover the walls and are being restored.
Intricate mosaic floors similar to the omphalos but on a much grander scale. The floors are entirely covered in tesserai.
The horses of San Marco, the Quadriga date from Classical antiquity. Some say they're Greek, others that they belonged to Nero,we know they adorned Tajan's Arch. They were displayed at the Hippodrome of Constantinopole along with other treasures from antiquity and in 1204 Dodge Enrico Dandolo sent them to Venice as spoils sacked in the Fourth Crusade. Napoleon liked them as well, and took them to Paris in 1797 but they were returned in 1815. The were restored in the 90's and are now inside the basilica. The are marvelous to see.
The view as one walks out onto the balcony on the roof. The quadriga is a cast replica of the originals.
View to the Grand Canal
