{"id":3557,"date":"2023-04-11T11:10:32","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T10:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=3557"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:40:47","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T11:40:47","slug":"6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica","title":{"rendered":"St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica: Kidnapping, Treasures, &#038; Other Secrets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica is one of the most-visited sights in Venice\u00a0and a must-see on any traveler&#8217;s Italy itinerary! But with a history that stretches all the way back to the 9th century A.D., it&#8217;s also a church with a\u00a0<em>lot\u00a0<\/em>of interesting stories and legends behind it. Here are ten of the most fascinating facts about St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#The_basilica_began_with_a_swashbuckling_tale_of_kidnapping\" >The basilica began with a swashbuckling tale of kidnapping<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#There_is_enough_mosaic_to_cover_15_American_football_fields\" >There is enough mosaic to cover 1.5 American football fields<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#There_are_more_than_500_columns\" >There are more than 500 columns<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#A_lot_of_the_basilicas_treasures_came_from_the_Crusades_from_Constantinople\" >A lot of the basilica&#8217;s treasures came from the Crusades &amp; from Constantinople<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#The_Pala_dOro_puts_the_Crown_Jewels_to_shame\" >The Pala d&#8217;Oro puts the Crown Jewels to shame<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#That_bell_tower_It_collapsed_once%E2%80%A6\" >That bell tower? It collapsed once&#8230;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#The_golden_mosaics_inside_St_Marks_Basilica_are_made_with_REAL_gold\" >The golden mosaics inside St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica are made with REAL gold<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#The_big_outer_domes_above_the_basilica_are_actually_fake\" >The big outer domes above the basilica are actually fake<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#In_2019_an_%E2%80%9Cacqua_alta%E2%80%9D_completely_flooded_the_church\" >In 2019, an &#8220;acqua alta&#8221; completely flooded the church<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/6-fascinating-facts-about-st-marks-basilica\/#St_Marks_Basilica_is_not_the_oldest_nor_the_largest_church_in_Venice\" >St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica is not the oldest, nor the largest church in Venice<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_basilica_began_with_a_swashbuckling_tale_of_kidnapping\"><\/span>The basilica began with a swashbuckling tale of kidnapping<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The first <strong>St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica<\/strong> was built on this spot in the 9th century to house very sacred relics\u2014relics that had been stolen! In 828, merchants from Venice stole the body of St. Mark the Evangelist, one of the four Apostles, from Alexandria, Egypt. According to the legend, they snuck them past the (Muslim) guards by hiding them under layers of pork in barrels.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3566\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3566\" class=\"wp-image-3566 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/San-Marco-Cathedral-copy.jpg\" alt=\"St. Mark's Basilica\" width=\"1000\" height=\"701\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/San-Marco-Cathedral-copy.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/San-Marco-Cathedral-copy-768x538.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3566\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica&#8217;s incredible fa\u00e7ade.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>While at sea, a storm almost\u00a0drowned the graverobbers and their precious cargo, it\u2019s said that St. Mark himself appeared to the captain and told him to lower the sails. The ship was saved, and the merchants said they owed their safety to the miracle.<\/p>\n<p>The entire story is pictured on the 13th-century mosaic above the left door as you enter the basilica.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"There_is_enough_mosaic_to_cover_15_American_football_fields\"><\/span>There is enough mosaic to cover 1.5 American football fields<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are more than 85,000 square feet (or 8,000 square meters) of mosaic in St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica&#8230; or enough mosaic to cover over 1.5 American football fields! The mosaics were done over 8 centuries, mostly in gold, and the result is astonishing. Enter the basilica at different times of day to see how the light makes the colors, and scenes, look different.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3561\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3561\" class=\"wp-image-3561 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Saint-Marks-Basilica-Cathedral-Church-Golden-Mosaic-Venice-Italy-copy.jpg\" alt=\"Mosaic in cathedral of St. Mark\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Saint-Marks-Basilica-Cathedral-Church-Golden-Mosaic-Venice-Italy-copy.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Saint-Marks-Basilica-Cathedral-Church-Golden-Mosaic-Venice-Italy-copy-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3561\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Just one of the dozens of mosaics in St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica&#8230;<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"There_are_more_than_500_columns\"><\/span>There are more than 500 columns<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Just another example of the sheer size, and amount of amazing <em>stuff,\u00a0<\/em>in St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica is the number of columns. There are more than 500 columns and capitals in the basilica, and most are Byzantine, dating between the 6th and 11th centuries. Some classical, 3rd-century capitals are mixed in, too.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16894\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16894\" class=\"wp-image-16894 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Blog_VENICE-Exclusive-St-Marks0051.jpg\" alt=\"St. Mark's Basilica\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16894\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Impressive columns inside of St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_lot_of_the_basilicas_treasures_came_from_the_Crusades_from_Constantinople\"><\/span>A lot of the basilica&#8217;s treasures came from the Crusades &amp; from Constantinople<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Fourth Crusade, in particular, gave St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica a windfall. After all, this was the Crusade that ended, in 1204, with the conquest of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3560\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3560\" class=\"wp-image-3560 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/St-Marks-horses-venice.jpg\" alt=\"The bronze horses of St. Mark's Basilica, originally from Constantinople!\" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/St-Marks-horses-venice.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/St-Marks-horses-venice-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3560\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bronze horses of St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica, originally from Constantinople.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The result? A\u00a0<em>lot\u00a0<\/em>of treasure was shipped to Venice, and installed in St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica \u2014 including the four bronze horses, icon of\u00a0the Madonna Nicopeia, enamels of the Golden Altar-piece, relics, crosses, chalices, and patens!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Pala_dOro_puts_the_Crown_Jewels_to_shame\"><\/span>The Pala d&#8217;Oro puts the Crown Jewels to shame<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Forget the glittering gems at the Tower of London: the Royal Family has nothing on St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica! The Pala d&#8217;Oro, a Byzantine altar screen of gold, is studded with hundreds of gems &#8211; literally. They include 1,300 pearls, 300 emeralds, 300 sapphires, 400 garnets, 100 amethysts, plus rubies and topazes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15646\" style=\"width: 1030px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15646\" class=\"wp-image-15646 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/The-Pala-d\u2019Oro-a-Byzantine-altar-screen-of-gold.jpg\" alt=\"The Pala d\u2019Oro, a Byzantine altar screen of gold\" width=\"1020\" height=\"768\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15646\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Pala d\u2019Oro, a Byzantine altar screen of gold.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"That_bell_tower_It_collapsed_once%E2%80%A6\"><\/span>That bell tower? It collapsed once&#8230;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The 323-foot (98.6-meter)\u00a0campanile of St. Mark&#8217;s dates back to the 9th century&#8230; but it had to be rebuilt in 1903. The reason? It collapsed! It had been reworked in the 16th century, and apparently not that well.<\/p>\n<p>It collapsed on July 14, 1902. (To be fair, it had survived several earthquakes before that). Although it buried the Basilica&#8217;s balcony in rubble, fortunately, the church itself was saved. But the incident was embarrassing enough.<\/p>\n<p>From 1903 to 1912, the bell tower was rebuilt exactly as it had been&#8230; except with better, safer techniques.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15641\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15641\" class=\"wp-image-15641 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/venice-3380829_1280.jpg\" alt=\"The belltower of St. Mark\u2019s Basilica towers high above the square\" width=\"1280\" height=\"856\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15641\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The belltower of St. Mark\u2019s Basilica towers high above the square<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_golden_mosaics_inside_St_Marks_Basilica_are_made_with_REAL_gold\"><\/span><strong>The golden mosaics inside St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica are made with REAL gold<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Venice was in the past a very wealthy city of merchants: what the Republic lacked in military strength or in land domination, they had in riches. The basilica&#8217;s mosaics are not just a way to please God and St. Mark or to communicate complex religious concepts, they were also a way to show the wealth of the city to the important guests, like kings or ambassadors from other coutries.<\/p>\n<p>The golden pieces are actually made of gold: each one has a thin gold leaf &#8216;sandwiched&#8217; between two layers of clear glass. With such a display of precious material, the Venetians could show at the same time their grand devotion but also their political &#8216;weight&#8217;: an extremely important thing for such a small country.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8912\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/VeniceLegendary-35-copy.jpg\" alt=\"The ceiling of the nave of St. Mark's Basilica.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/VeniceLegendary-35-copy.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/VeniceLegendary-35-copy-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_big_outer_domes_above_the_basilica_are_actually_fake\"><\/span><strong>The big outer domes above the basilica are actually fake<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In Venice it&#8217;s impossible to build huge structures: the terrain is frail, so you have to carefully stick to small, light and flexible buildings. But the Venetians had to find a way to astonish their guests: so they optimized some very clever tricks to cheat the eye and give everyone the impression that the buildings are huge and imposing.<\/p>\n<p>In St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica there is a great example of this: the five big domes that give the building its distinctive shape are just a superstructure made of wood cover with a thin layer of lead. They are actually completely empty: the brick built domes with the mosaics that you see inside the church are much lower.<\/p>\n<p>We can arguably say that the only role of those big empty domes is to make the building look much bigger than it really is: this way the ships approaching the city could recognize its shape from afar, and be even more astonished by the legendary city rising from the waters.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_2019_an_%E2%80%9Cacqua_alta%E2%80%9D_completely_flooded_the_church\"><\/span><strong>In 2019, an &#8220;acqua alta&#8221; completely flooded the church<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the Venetian Lagoon there are tides: sometimes these tides go higher than normal and as a result some parts of the city get flooded. The St. Mark&#8217;s square is the lowest part of the city, so it&#8217;s pretty common to see its floor partially or totally submerged in water.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17800\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17800\" class=\"wp-image-17800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5eq3dpk6xsa.jpg\" alt=\"person in black jacket and black pants standing on water near beige concrete building during daytime\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5eq3dpk6xsa.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5eq3dpk6xsa-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/5eq3dpk6xsa-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-17800\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flooding in St. Mark&#8217;s Square. Photo credit: Egor Gordeev<\/p><\/div>\n<p>But in November 12, 2019, things went completely out of control. The tide rose so much that it reached the second-highest level ever recorded in the history of the city. The custodians of the church were unprepared for this event; water not only flooded the antechamber of the basilica, which is at the same level of the square, but also the church itself, which is much higher.<\/p>\n<p>The damage was substantial and the building is still recovering. This tragic event gave a big push to the completion of the MOSE project, a system of mobile barriers meant to protect the Lagoon from the most dangerous tides. The barriers were tested a couple of times in 2020 and apparently they worked well. We all hope they will be able to protect the basilica from future floods.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"St_Marks_Basilica_is_not_the_oldest_nor_the_largest_church_in_Venice\"><\/span><strong>St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica is not the oldest, nor the largest church in Venice<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica was built starting from the 9th century. However, the history of Venice starts way before that moment, in the 5th-6th centuries. So there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/churches-in-venice\">Venetian churches<\/a> around the city that predate the most important monument. According to the historians, the oldest holy building of the city could be the church of San Giacometto, which is very close to the Rialto Bridge.<\/p>\n<p>The Rialto area was, in fact, the first spot that was colonized when the islands started to be populated. Indeed, because of this, the city of Venice was actually called &#8220;Rialto&#8221; for the first centuries of its existence.<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1558\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/DSC_0829-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Rialto, Venice\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/DSC_0829-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/DSC_0829-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/DSC_0829-1536x1020.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/>\n<p>Despite its enormous size, at least in proportion with the other buildings of the city, \u00a0St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica is also not the biggest church &#8211; that title goes to the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, home to the very powerful Dominican monastic order. Their monastery was so big that when Napoleon conquered Venice he chose that building to become the first big public hospital of the city (the hospital is there still today)! You can learn more about San Giacometto and Santi Giovanni e Paolo if you take our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/venice-tours\/venice-in-a-day\/\">Venice in a Day tour<\/a>, which both feature these very important churches.<\/p>\n<p><em>Special thanks goes to our Walks of Italy guide <\/em><strong><em>Mos\u00e8 Viero<\/em><\/strong><em> for sharing these additional interesting facts about St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Update notice: This post was updated on January 22, 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>If you want to learn more, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/venice-tours\/legendary-venice-st-marks-basilica-tours\/\">Legendary Venice Tour<\/a> for a fascinating guided visit of St. Mark&#8217;s as well as the Doge&#8217;s Palace. And for a\u00a0<em>really\u00a0<\/em>VIP visit, access <a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/venice-tours\/alone-in-st-marks-basilica-tour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica after hours<\/a>, when it&#8217;s closed to the public!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>St. Mark&#8217;s Basilica is one of the most-visited sights in Venice, and a must-see on any traveler&#8217;s Italy itinerary! But with a history that stretches all the way back to the 9th century A.D., it&#8217;s also a church with a\u00a0lot\u00a0of interesting stories and legends behind it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":16894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[87,68,20,80,69,136],"ppma_author":[190],"class_list":["post-3557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-culture","tag-architecture","tag-art","tag-attractions","tag-churches","tag-history","tag-venice"],"authors":[{"term_id":190,"user_id":81,"is_guest":0,"slug":"elenal","display_name":"Elena L.","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Elena-Lombardi.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Elena-Lombardi.png"},"user_url":"","last_name":"L.","first_name":"Elena","job_title":"","description":"Elena has a deep-rooted love for her native Venice. Having previously worked as an Italian teacher abroad, Elena returned home and still teaches in addition to being a travel writer. Elena loves sharing the beauty of her native language and culture by teaching, and also through her writing. She loves to assist others in discovering the charm and uniqueness of Venice\u2014a city she considers to be one of the most beautiful, must-see places in the world."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3557"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3557"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23728,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3557\/revisions\/23728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3557"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=3557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}