The History of St. Mark's Basilica

Story of the Construction

The Basilica di San Marco has a fascinating origin story! It was originally built to house the relics of a saint, which had been brought to Venice by traders in a barrel filled with pork after being secretly taken from Egypt. During a treacherous storm that threatened to overturn the ship, the saint's ghost appeared to guide the sailors to lower the sails, saving them from impending disaster. As a testament to this miraculous event, a fresco depicting the supernatural intervention was made, and you can see this inside the basilica.

Participazio Church (829 - 976)

Excavations have shown that St. Mark's Basilica has always been of cruciform structure with a central dome that was likely built of wood, even though the original edifice was long believed to be rectangular. The Venetian traders' growing economic influence in the capital, as well as the area's political ties to Byzantium, were symbolized by this significant shift from the customary architectural style of a rectangular form to a centered Byzantine structure. It is believed that the old church's sole intact elements are the foundations and lower reaches of several of the main walls.

Orseolo Church (976 - 1063)

In 976 AD, when the Doge was subject to a populist uprising, a furious mob set fire to the castrum in an attempt to remove him, and the fire quickly spread to the adjoining church, severely injuring it. The general assembly had to find another location for the ceremony to elect Pietro I Orseolo as the next Doge and the event was shifted to the cathedral of San Pietro di Castello. The wooden parts had been burned, but the supports and walls were mostly still standing.

Contarini Church (1063 - present)

A strong feeling of community propelled some Italian towns to start repairing large churches around the middle of the eleventh century. Under the tutelage of Contarini, St. Mark's was greatly expanded and reconstructed in 1063 AD, resulting in a completely different final structure. In particular, the domes stood out since they had been converted from their original wood construction to brick. The cathedral's interiors and exteriors were later covered in marble and precious stones and embellished with reliefs, columns, and statues. Several of these ornamental elements were from ancient buildings.

Architects Involved

Domenico Contarini 

Domenico Contarini was the 30th Doge of Venice and a liberal builder of churches and monasteries. He began the restoration work of St. Mark’s Basilica just before his death in 1071. In the course of his rule, the Venetians reclaimed Zadar (in modern-day Croatia) and a portion of Dalmatia that had been forfeited to the Kingdom of Croatia a few decades back. His other notable work includes the San Nicolò di Lido in Lido di Venezia. Additionally, the Venetian naval fleet was significantly expanded, the economy flourished, and the Republic of Venice regained its dominance over a large portion of the Mediterranean Sea.

Architecture

St. Mark’s Basilica is applauded for its elegant and pure architecture which hasn’t transformed significantly since the 11th century. The central dome is braced on four pillars by spandrels and huge vaults. The west façade of the basilica is split into domes, lower register, and upper register. Five round-arched entrances are surrounded by polychrome marble columns in the lower register. An interesting fact to note here is that Venetians used ingenious tactics to create an impression of massive and intimidating structures. The five large domes of St. Mark's Basilica are made of wood covered with lead.

The basilica comprises around 500 columns and capitals, the majority of which date from the sixth to eleventh centuries. The whole 12th-century marble floor is covered in geometric designs and animal-themed embellishments. Almost 8,000 square meters of vibrant mosaics are used to adorn the top levels. Most of these mosaics have gold glass tesserae, which gives a glittering appearance.