Basilica di San Marco

Dominating the Piazza San Marco, the Basilica di San Marco serves a dual purpose. First, it is an embodiment of the power of the doges who ruled over the Venetian republic, and who made this their place of worship. Secondly it is the resting place of St. Mark. There seems to be little doubt that what motivated the Venetian desire to entomb St. Mark here was not purely theological, but rather that a city of Venice's importance deserved to be recognized through the interment of a major Christian figure. Like many such holy places, the journey of St. Mark to his earthly resting place is an interesting one. Apparently the leaders of Venice were dissatisfied with their old Byzantine protector, St. Theodore. Or, perhaps it was because this appointment, coming from Constantinople, offended the Venetians' sense of importance. To remedy this, two merchants spirited the body of St. Mark from a monastery in Alexandria, transporting it under layers of pork to prevent inspection by Muslim guards. St. Mark was welcomed with great fanfare (and, of course, mosaics) in Venice. The next part is murky, as apparently the church fathers forgot where in this magnificent cathedral the patron saint was interred. In an equally macabre twist, the arm broke through in 1094, and St. Mark was laid to rest beneath the basilica's main altar. A small cross to the left of the altar marks where St. Mark's arm emerged from hiding!

The Basilica di San Marco is itself a portal to Venice's rich cultural past, featuring a dazzling array of different art forms from ancient Rome through the Renaissance. Perhaps most striking are the famous mosaics, accessible from the second level atrium. The map below provides a virtual tour of some of the main features of the Basilica di San Marco

Features of the Basilica San Marco

Instructions: Place the cursor on a number to view that feature in a new window. Click on "Close" to shut that window and return to the basilica diagram. [Hints: 1) be certain not to drag the mouse over another number, or it will open that window instead; 2) be certain your ad-blocker is turned off for this page]  If this doesn't work (or negotiating between the numbers is too annoying), click on the links in the box below. Once you have finished the tour, click the "Close" button at the bottom of this page to return to the main Venice map.