St Marcs Basilica

Description

Open Edition Reproduction

St Marc’s Basilica is the chief ecclesiastical building of Venice, sited next to the Ducal Palace in the eponymous Piazza on the Grand Canal. Once the private chapel of the Doge, the church dates from the early 11th century, resplendent in its domes, artwork, mosaic, and statuary, done in a wealth of Byzantine, Romanesque and Islamic influences.

The walls include the “four tetrachs,” a cornerstone feature looted from Constantinople, as were the splendid four horses mounted on the façade. The latter were stolen by Napoleon after the 1797 invasion of the Serene Republic but were returned after Waterloo. Artwork includes works by Veronese, Titian and Tintoretto.