St. Mark’s Basilica Venice

The decorative programme of the fundamental altar in St. Mark’s Basilica consists of mosaics of the late-11th and early-12th centuries distributed among three windows. The ancient mosaics in the basilica date back to as early as the 1070s. Each of the mosaics in the structure of the cathedral looks so interesting and beautiful that you would want to keep on looking at them forever.

There are different types, origins, and epochs of sculptures in St. Mark’s Basilica Venice that show the richness of the 12th and 13th century French cathedrals. Each of these sculptures, included in the St. Mark’s Basilica Venice Tickets, are created for their intended place or are surviving from a pre-existing building. These sculptures include a blend of trophies and ornamental elements with the integration of the mosaics.

With the St. Mark’s Basilica Venice Tickets, you will come to know that the church is a treasure trove of gold and silver work, ornamental glass and paintings and valuable stones. The cathedral also consists of highly refined items created for the churches and structures of Constantinople. The Pala D’oro is situated near the tall altar where the relics of the Evangelists were enshrined.

Created at the end of the 19th century, St. Mark’s Museum is another place included in the St. Mark’s Basilica Venice Tickets. It consists of the different kinds and origins of the objects belonging to the church. The museum houses one of the most valuable works of the quadriga, along with the illuminated manuscripts, Persian carpets, liturgical vestments, fragments of ancient mosaics, and the texts of St. Mark’s liturgies.

Standing at a height of 99 meters, the Campanile is the revealing square plan tower in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. It is a prototype of all the campaniles that was initially a watchtower, which later transformed into a weather clock with the addition of the belfry and embellishment of the statue of the Archangel Gabriel at the top.

The Music Chapel in St. Mark’s Basilica is the center of attraction of Venetian musical life. The ways and style of considering music during that time depended on the suitability of the magnificence of the Basilica. In this period, numerous great Renaissance composers took part in the life of the Chapel and created the instrumental parts with melodic lines in the Basilica.

The Essential Chronology in St. Mark’s Basilica includes the events of the construction of the basilica in chronological order. Starting from 829 when the body of St. Mark was brought from Alexandria to Venice to 1807 when the basilica became the center of attraction of the Venice Patriarch, you will find everything in this Essential Chronology.

• Western façade- The exterior of St. Mark’s Basilica architecture is segregated into two registers. You will find five deeply submerged portals in the lower register of the western façade, covered with two tiers of valuable columns. The sculptural elements of the western façade are largely embellished in the arches of the doorways consisting of the architectural lines.

• Northern façade- On the Northern façade, you will witness the statues of the four authentic Latin Doctors of the Church, namely Gregory the Great, Jerome, Ambrose, and Augustine. The lunettes in this facade are also decorated with allegorical figures of Charity, Faith, Prudence, and Temperance.

• Southern façade- The southern façade also consists of the allegorical figures of the Fortitude and Justice and the aedicule of the church include statues of Saint Paul the Hermit and Saint Anthony Abbot. It is one of the richly decorated façades as you will find plenty of rare marbles, trophies, and spoils in this façade.

The Entry Hall or the Zen Chapel in St. Mark’s Basilica architecture showcases a mosaic cycle in the barrel vault that tells the stories of Saint Mark’s relics, translating from Alexandria to Venice. These relics display events like the praedestinatione that narrates the burial of the angelic prophecy of Mark.

Chancel and choir chapels- The chancel in the interior part of the St. Mark’s Basilica architecture is covered with a Gothic altar screen, topped with a bronze and silver Crucifix. Here, you will find the statues of the Virgin and Saint Mark, along with the Twelve Apostles. Moving further, you will come across two choir chapels on either side of the chancel.

Side altars and chapels- The faithful were the prime user of the side altars in the transept. The altar in the northern crossarm is dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, while the altar in the southern crossarm praises the name of Saint Leonard. The Mascoli Chapel was also embellished under Doge Francesco Foscari which was initially used by the homonymous confraternity.

Baptistery- The construction date of the Baptistry remains unknown, but it is likely that Doge Giovanni Soranzo had been responsible for the architectural construction of the structure. The mosaics in the Baptistry provide glimpses from the life of Saint John the Baptist and the infancy of Christ.

Sacristy- The Sacristy was constructed by Giorgio Spavento in 1486. The cabinets used in the Sacristy were utilized for keeping vestments, monstrances, reliquaries, and liturgical books and objects. In the walls of the Sacristy, you will find the mosaics that depict the prophets of the Old Testament and are adorned by Titan between 1524 and 1530.

The architecture of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice took inspiration from the Gothic period which was limited to decorative details and patterns. You can find instances of it in the painted wall decoration and portal in the Church of Madonna dell’Orto and the Church of Santo Stefano. Although the classical elements of Venetian architecture were introduced in the early Renaissance period, the local building traditions prevailed for a long time.