Everything you need to know about Saint Mark’s Basilica Venice

History of St. Mark's Basilica

The story of St Mark's Basilica is a rather interesting one. In 828 AD, 2 merchants from Venice set off to Alexandria for business. In Alexandria, they visited the St. Mark’s sanctuary which held the Saint’s body since his death. While they were here, they happened to speak to the custodians of the sanctuary who told them that the governor of Alexandria was planning to demolish the St. Mark’s sanctuary. This compelled the merchants to ‘save’ St. Mark’s body and rescue it to Venice. They cleverly hid the body in wicker baskets under pork meat and Alexandria being an Islamic state considered pork haram. Hence, the officials at the port did not bother to inspect the goods and waved them through.

Though they swayed past the guards, they faced quite a turmoil at sea. However, they came out of the storm safe and accredited that to St. Mark himself.

When they finally reached Venice with the stolen relic, it was temporarily housed in a chapel within the Doge’s Palace for the first 2 years. In 832, a grand basilica was built close to the Doge’s Palace to shelter the relic , however this basilica burnt down in 976 during an uprising. It was restored by Doge Domenico Cantarini to its present glory by 1071 and till date it has stayed the same; a magnificent grandeur

Watch out for the Mosaic of Porta di Sant'Alipio. It is the only surviving 13th century mosaic on the basilica's exterior and illustrates the above story

North and South Façade

The South Facade facing the water was enclosed until 1503 as it was intended to be used only as a ceremonial purposes. It is adorned with mosaics and sculptures making it an arresting sight from the Grand Canal. You can see the 13th century Byzantine architecture mosaic of Virgin Mary between the 2 griffins in the first arch here. On this facet of the Basilica, you can see the Tetrarchs, a 4th century statue of red granite with 4 co-emperors of the Roman Empire. This was brought to Venice from Constantinople. The North Facade faces the Piazzetta Dei Leoncini and is decorated with the Door of Flowers , also known as the Porta dei Fiori. This Door of Flowers is framed by angels, foliage and prophets and is absolutely gorgeous. You can lay your eyes on a painting of Alexander the Great’s chariot and a 8th century depiction of carved nativity of Mary, Joseph, and two oxen protectively looking over the baby Jesus. You will also see a depiction of with 12 lambs ( respresenting the 12 Apostles) on each side on the facade.

Exterior

The main entrance of the St Mark’s Basilica is from its western facade and if you happen to enter from here, the ornamental exterior will grapple your attention. From outside, you get an overview of the marble columns, domes and gold gilded carvings. The marble columns stand tall in many hues and patterns and decorate all 4 facades of the Basilica. The Central Portal of the Basilica comprises 3 arches which depicts the evolution of the Basilica’s architecture over centuries. The innermost arch has reliefs of foliage depicting the Byzantine era. The middle arch illustrated allegories of months and virtues which shows the Gothic and Romanesque architectural era. The last and outermost arch represents Venice’s Guilds The inner arch is Byzantine and depicts reliefs of flora and fauna. The Gothic and Romanesque middle arch shows allegories of the months and virtues. And the outermost arch is carved with representations of each of Venice's guilds. The mosaic of The Last Judgement is on the outermost arch and depicts a colourful illustration of it.

Interior

Designed in the shape of a Greek Cross, the Basilica has splendid marble inlays on the floor arranged in a geometric pattern along with animal designs. It sheathes 8000 sq.m of gilded mosaics over its walls and ceilings. It is said that this much mosaic is enough to cover over 1 and a half American football fields! The atrium is decorated with mosaic illustrations of the Bible and you will see stories involving Virgin Mary, St. Mark, St. Clement, St. Peter and St. John. The Basilica is held in place with over 500 columns and capitals, most of them Byzantine dating way back to the 6th century.

Dome

St Mark’s Basilica has 5 cupolas, all erected at the intersection over the arms of the Greek Cross structure. They cover an area of 4240 sq.m, each dome being 13 m in diameteres with 16 windows each. These cupolas are decked with gracious amounts of golden mosaic hence giving rise to the name Basilica d'Oro, which translates to Golden Basilica. Majority of these mosaics date back to 1160s, the oldest one above the choir. Each dome depicts specific scenarios - The Creation ( in the Narthex), The Pentecost ( the Western dome), The Ascension (Central Dome), The Life of Saint John (Northern dome) and The Life of Saint Leonard, Saint Nicholas, Clement and Blaise (Southern Dome). The best place to view these domes are from the galleries near the museum.

Transept Chapels

On the arms of the dome, there are a few chapels dedicated to various saints, each more beautiful than the other. Some of the noteworthy ones are Cappella della Madonna dei Máscoli, built in the 15 century comprising of a Gothic altar sculpture and mosaic inlays. Cappella di Sant'Isidoro is adorned with 14th century mosaics and has a sculpted stone coffin with a saint’s remains embedded into the wall. Cappella della Madonna Nicopeia flaunts the priceless Byzantine icon of the Madonna Nicopeia, studded with precious stones in a delicate enamel frame. Cappella di San Clemente was the former Doge's chapel featuring 12th century mosaics. There are just a few of the many over there. As and when you go for a guided tour, you will learn more about the chapels in the Basilica.

Pala d'Oro

Pala d’Oro which translates to "Golden Pall" or "Golden Cloth" is a fine piece of Byzantine art studded with a total of 1927 precious gems comprising 526 pearls, 330 garnets, 320 emeralds, 255 sapphires, 183 amethysts, 175 agates, 75 rubies, 34 topazes, 16 carnelians, 13 jaspers along with gold, silver and cloisonne enamel plaques. This jewel encrusted altarpiece depicts the life of Christ and took 366 years to be fabricated to its current glory. If you opt for a free entry to the St. Mark's Basilica, you will have to purchase a seperate ticket to see the Pala d'Oro. If you'd like to experience San Marco Basilica seamlessly, you could purchase a Priority Access Guided Tour ticket to St Mark's Basilica that will allow you to walk into any part of the Basilica carefree.

Museo di San Marco

From the porch of the Basilica, make your way up the flight of stairs to reach Museo di San Marco, the St. Mark’s museum. It flaunts an incredible collection of liturgies, Persian carpets, broken fragments of mosaics( Look out for Tree of Jesse), golden tesserae, 78 bones of different Saints and many other relics. If you walk a little further you will reach the Sala dei Banchetti room showcasing fabrics and the Doge’s red velvet throne. The most important treasure in Museo di San Marco is the Quadriga, the four gilded bronze horses, often called the Horses of San Marco. Lore goes that these horses were stolen from Constantinople in 1204 and displayed on the Loggia terrace for Venetians to feast their eyes. After walking through the museum, take a few minutes to oversee the St Mark's Square from the Loggia. Best view in the city guaranteed! Gaining access to the museum too involves an extra fee, hence booking a comprehensive tour is highly recommended.

Treasury

The Treasury harbours a collection of precious objects looted by the Venetians from Constantinople in 1204 along with a few pieces of art by ancient Venetian craftsmen. These series of rooms are the richest and most important parts of the Basilica and showcase 283 pieces in gold and silver along with a lot many other interesting curios. A few things you ought to lookout for are the crystal fish shaped lamps, cloisonne gold and silver box with pieces of the True Cross, amphorae carved from a single block of agate, alabaster vases from Egypt 300 BC, a perfume-brazier in the form of a small building with five cupolas, the throne of Doge Pietro ,Orseolo, St. George’s reliquary, a Byzantine icon of Archangel Michael and a collection of medieval chalices of precious stones such as sardonyx, turquoise, enamel and chalcedony. This part of the Basilica requires a seperate ticket too. To avoid standing in a queue to see the Treasury, you can pick up your tickets from Headout.

Marble Inlays

The Basilica’s floor is quite literally flooded with marble designed in geometric patterns. These marble inlays cover over 2099 sq.m in hues of earth tones occasionally interspersed with animal and floral designs apart from the geometrical patterns. You will find tiny glints of glass in between these marble inlays. Try spotting designs of foxes, peacocks, doves, roosters and rhinoceros while you’re walking around the Basilica. A good task to put the kids onto while you soak in the history of the Basilica.

Tomb of St. Mark

The crypt which encases St. Mark’s body is a part of the Basilica that is open for tours beyond the usual opening hours. It is believed that the crypt is a part of the original church built to keep safe St. Mark’s corpse after it was brought from Alexandria. The new Basilica was commissioned to be built above the previous building and hence the burial ground transformed into a crypt which is now a much coveted site for visit. The crypt is adorned with mosaics illuminated by dim lighting and the walls of the crypt are eroded due to years of flooding. The crypt is still in use as a burial ground for the Patriarchs of Venice. To indulge in a crypt visit, you will have to book an evening guided tour and walk into this intimate area with a guide who will detail the story of the evangelist relic.