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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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Basilica di San Marco
Piazza San Marco, San Marco
Venice
Veneto
041-5225697
Type: Sightseeing
Cost: $8
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Venice
Veneto
041-5225697
Type: Sightseeing
Cost: $8
Comments ( 0 )
Rating (0 Votes)
Shortly after St. Mark’s body was smuggled to Venice from Alexandria, Egypt in 828, the first church of St. Mark the Evangelist was consecrated in his honor. By 1094, a new church was built on the foundations of the earlier one and was consecrated when St. Mark’s body was placed in a tomb beneath the high altar.
Modeled after a basilica in Constantinople, Venice’s sumptuous basilica known as the Chiesa d’Oro was constructed on a Greek cross plan with five cupolas, an impressive example of Byzantine architecture. Over the course of many centuries, modifications were made to the original church, with columns, statues and mosaics added to enhance its opulence.
The best time to visit the basilica is around midday when more than 9,600 square yards of golden mosaics adorning the vaults, walls and cupolas are resplendent. The Byzantine mosaics depict stories from the Old and New Testaments and the lives of Christ, the Virgin Mary and St. Mark.
Be sure to visit the Pala d’Oro, the gilded altarpiece sumptuously ornamented with pearls and precious gems, and the Tesoro, where treasures from Constantinople and other relics are on display. Free guided tours with a Biblical reading related to the basilica’s mosaics are held between Apr and Oct, Mon-Sat at 11 am. See the schedule in the basilica entrance for tours in English.
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