Basilica of San Marco (St. Mark's)
Churches in Venice - San Marco
Saint Mark's Basilica is a monument made unique by both its wealth of history
and the magnificence of its façade and interior. In essence, it is
a splendid workshop, where, through the centuries, worked great Italian and
European artists.
To build St. Mark's Church, Venice brought the spiritual and material heritage of Byzantium to the West.
The Greek cross plan stands on a structure which in the longitudinal nave has basilica architectural motifs: the vertical arm of the cross is greater than those of the transepts and the altar is in the apse area. Above the cross are five cupolas, according to the eastern model, as a symbol of God's presence.
Organisation of the space is rich in evocations that are not found in other Byzantine churches. The interior has a unitary sequence subdivided into individual spatial orchestrations to which gold background mosaics ensure continuity and the church's special way of being.
The architectural idea underlying St. Mark's Church is deeply rooted in the cultural context of Constantinople. The model was the Church of the Twelve Apostles, built in Justinian's day and destroyed in 1462. The present-day church was built on the remains of the first and second church in the space available between the Ducal Palace and the Church of St. Theodore (810-819). A bold solution which in the 11th century united memories - the tomb and its remains of St. Mark's body - with the Greek cross plan of a great new church with five cupolas, the prestigious "Ducal Chapel". In St. Mark's each cupola rests on four great vaults whose weight is borne by four pillars. The interior has a unitary sequence subdivided into individual spatial orchestrations to which gold background mosaics ensure continuity and the church's special way of being. Unlike the Greek models the altar, which is joined to the evangelist's tomb, is not in the centre of the cross but beneath the eastern, presbytery cupola. The church subsequently underwent substantial modifications: the narthex was added, a Gothic rosette was opened towards the Ducal Palace and the window of the horses opened in the façade, thus altering the atmosphere of the old building. Each modification was connected with structural, political or prestige reasons.
The Treasure of St. Mark's is the richest documentation of gold and silver work, precious stones, ornamental glass and paintings, the most refined items produced for the churches and buildings of Constantinople and the most precious pieces created for the glory of St. Mark's by Venetian craftsmen.
All agree that the most precious piece is the Pala d'Oro, the retable of the high altar of the church which glorifies the Evangelist and contains his relics.
Perhaps there is no other building as rich as St. Mark's in sculpture of such different types, epochs and origins. That of the 12th and 13th century French cathedrals is certainly richer but consists chiefly of works created in the place for which they were intended or works surviving from a pre-existing building.
This is true of St. Mark's only for part of the sculptures, albeit a significant
part. The rest were collected elsewhere and then placed inside or outside
the church, obliged to fit in with a group that constitutes a curious mixture
of trophies, of ornamental elements already with their own meanings, subsequently
integrated with new mosaics and sculptures in, from a programmatic point of
view, a very fascinating decorative symbiosis.
The result is a picturesque unitary complex, although naturally it is more
of a unity perceptible through the senses and imagination than a logical and
structural one.
When thinking about Saint Mark's Basilica, the first images that come to
the minds of many people are those of the mosaics and their golden backgrounds.
More than 8000 square metres of mosaic cover the walls, vaults
and cupolas of the Basilica.
Essentially Byzantine in its architecture, the Basilica finds in the mosaics
its natural integrating element. The mosaic decorations were developed through
some 8 centuries of the Basilica's history.
They represent stories from the Bible (Old and New Testaments), allegorical figures,
events in the lives of Christ, the Virgin Mary, Saint Mark and other saints.
The mosaics, with their warm colours, particularly gold, decorate the ample spaces
of the Basilica, from 28 metres wide up to 21 metres high. As in Middle-Eastern
churches, the interaction of the decoration with a dim, but ever changing light,
according to the time of day, creates a range of evocative and intense effects.
In the Basilica's mosaics can be found the most significant evidence of Venice's
history, the ambitions, faith, languages and trends characterizing the evolution
of its art. From its Greek-Byzantine origins to the local artistic expressions
and the skills to represent and interpret other outside influences, up to the
modern, quite difficult art of preservation and restoration of these precious
and complicated works.
Address: St. Mark's square
Official website: www.basilicasanmarco.it
Visit the churches of Venice...