Beautiful Venice inspired many artists, poets, musicians to create world famous works. No wonder. A city in which magnificent nature is harmoniously connected with exquisite architecture and a long history will not leave anyone indifferent. Each building is a landmark here, but in this article we will introduce you to a magnificent building - St. Mark's Cathedral.
Chapel
In Venice, you can find many monuments dedicated to the evangelist Mark, who has long been considered the patron saint of the city. The first chapel dedicated to the apostle appeared in the city as early as 829. Her main shrine was the relics of St. The mark that the Venetian sailors stole from Alexandria.
When the Venetians saw that Muslims were barbarously destroying the temples of Christians and building mosques in their place, they decided to protect the relics of the evangelist from desecration. According to an ancient legend, in order to transport the priceless relic on the ship, the merchants went to the trick - they laid the relics of the saint with pork carcasses, and the customs officers were told that they were transporting pork. The Saracens who preach Islam did not dare to touch the unclean animal and did not check the cargo. During the popular uprising, they burned the St. Mark 's Basilica in 976. At the same time, the Venetian ruler Pietro IV Candiano was ousted from the throne.
Temple history
St. Mark's Cathedral, whose history began in 1063, amazes the imagination of not only ordinary tourists. They are admired and still continue to be studied by specialists in the field of architecture. Looking at his image, many are wondering in what city the Cathedral of St. Mark stands. Of course, in ancient Venice (Italy).
In 1071, when the cathedral was not yet completed, the new ruler of the city, Domenico Selvo, was elevated to it. It was under him (1071-1084) that the first cycle of making the mosaic decoration of the cathedral began. The temple was consecrated in 1094 under Vital Fallier. This ruler (Doge) was buried in one of the galleries, where the narthex of the temple is located today.
St. Mark's Cathedral, the photo of which you can see in this article, was built quite quickly - over thirty years. But in the next five hundred years it was constantly expanded and decorated.
The Venetians had concerns that the Alexandrians would learn about the abduction of the relics, so they decided to announce the “miracle” of the appearance of the remains. An ancient legend says that the inhabitants of the city were ordered to pray and fast so that the Lord would help to find the relics of Mark. And once God “heard” the prayers of the townspeople - during one of the services on the column, a marble slab fell off , and in the hole the parishioners saw the saint's hand. There was no doubt - a miracle helped to find power.
Palace chapel
For a long time St. Mark's Cathedral (Venice) was a palace chapel. Rulers (doges) were crowned in this temple, here they found the last refuge. In the temple, the army was blessed to win the crusades. Here captains who went on a voyage received a blessing.
In these ancient walls, the emperor of Rome - Frederick I Barbarossa - made a long-awaited peace with Alexander III. Not a single city celebration was complete without a solemn mass in this basilica. In the square in front of the temple, the Venetian famous carnivals were noisy and continue to make noise today, as well as other ceremonial events.
St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice: architecture
It is unlikely that anyone will challenge the claim that this temple is one of the most interesting and vibrant sights of the city. A huge stately building attracts tourists from all over the world. Why is St. Mark's Cathedral so attractive? Being under its vaults, according to parishioners, is a great happiness. The monumentality of the building strengthens faith and purifies the soul.
But it is impossible not to say about the architectural features of the unique structure. St. Mark's Cathedral, a description of which can be found in all Venice city guides, has five entrances. Each of them has a sculpture and columns in two tiers. The magnificent mosaic compositions above the entrances demonstrate events that are associated with the abduction of the relics of the saint and their appearance in Venice.
The five-domed cross-domed cathedral of St. Mark was created on the model of the Church of the Apostles in Constantinople. As we already mentioned, for the next five centuries the temple was expanded and decorated. Work on the facade cladding of the cathedral with marble began in 1159. In the XII century, mosaics appeared on the central domes and arches. Baptistery and Chapel of St. Isidora was added in 1354. The Mascoli Chapel appeared in the 15th century, as did Sacristy. In the next, 16th century, the Zen chapel appeared. The decoration of the temple was completely completed at the end of the 15th century. This confirms the image of him in a painting by J. Bellini.
Experts note the obvious heterogeneity of the architectural styles of the square in front of the temple. St. Mark's Cathedral is its architectural dominant. The author of the magnificent construction project was an unknown Greek architect, who put the Byzantine cross at the base of the structure, and it is crowned with four dome domes, the fifth being the foundation.
Above the main entrances to the cathedral you can see arches with amazing mosaics. Above the main entrance, such a panel depicts scenes from the Last Judgment. A copy of the four horses made of bronze is installed on the roof. Such a sculpture was brought from Constantinople (1204) as a trophy.
Relics of the Cathedral
Most of the ancient relics of the temple came here after the fall of Constantinople. These primarily include the quadriga located on the western facade. This is a copy, and its original is kept in the museum of the temple. In addition, it is a unique "golden altar", made by beautiful Byzantine masters, the icon "Madonna of Nicopea".
Interior decoration
St. Mark's Cathedral (Venice) amazes everyone who falls under its arches with an abundance of colored marble, mosaics on biblical subjects. They occupy a huge area - more than four thousand square meters. Amazing fragments of multi-colored glass are laid out on the finest sheets of gold. Cancer with the relics of St. The stamp is kept under sparkling gems and the golden throne of the main altar. Above it is the “golden altar” - a special iconostasis, which was executed by the Byzantine masters in 1343 by order of the Venetians.
Gothic frame made of gilded silver consists of 250 miniatures on enamel, inlaid with 2000 semiprecious and precious stones. On the altar you can see scenes from the New Testament and the life of the Apostle Mark. Due to the huge amount of gold, the cathedral is sometimes called the “Golden Basilica”.
Today, St. Mark's Cathedral is an active temple. Daily services are held in the chapel of St. Isidora. Always at the services there are many not only parishioners, but also guests of the city. Every day you can visit St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice. The opening hours of the temple are very convenient for visits - from 9:45 to 16:00. In addition to the relics, the relics of the temple include: the icon of the Virgin Nicopea and the relics of the martyr Isidore. That is why Christian pilgrims from all over the world constantly come here.
Campanile of St. Mark's Cathedral (Venice)
This is the name of the bell tower of the temple. This is an integral part of the cathedral. It is located on the main square of the city. From here you can see the whole of Venice, since the height of the structure is 99 meters, it is the highest in Venice.
Historical reference
In the VIII century, there was a clock tower. It burned in a fire that arose after a lightning strike. In 1514, a bell tower appeared in the city, which can be seen today. The construction was initiated by Admiral Grimani. It was necessary for him to gain the trust of the townspeople and local officials, since before that he had not completed the task assigned to him, and therefore he could be convicted. Today it is safe to say that the Campanile of St. Mark's Cathedral was built at the expense of Grimani.
This building was a beacon for sailors and a watchtower. From here, the surrounding countryside was perfectly visible. At the same time, it was also a place of punishment for church servants who were seen in same-sex relationships. They were put in special cages and hung from the tower.
Description
The campaign of St. Mark's Cathedral had five bells, and each of them performed its task. The largest of them sounded only in the morning, informing residents that the day had already begun.
In 1902, the campaignana cracked on one wall and collapsed. Fortunately, no one was hurt. After 10 years (1912) the tower was restored.
The facade of the loggia is a three arches decorated with side columns. Between them in the niches are bronze statues of Mercury, Minerva, Apollo. During the reconstruction of 1912, the side facades, which were originally made of brick, were faced with marble.