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Photo (c) James Lawson
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Venice Sestriere San Marco - the heart of Venice
The Doge's Palace
The monumental entrance was the
Porta della Carta, enchanting example of floral Gothic style
that contains two bronze well-curbs. The courtyard is surrounded by porticoes
with a top loggia. On the eastern side there is the Scala dei Giganti (Giants'
Staircase).
It is thus called because of the two enormous statues by Sansovino
at the sides. The stairway goes up to the loggia but to reach the top floors we
go up the Scala d'Oro ('Golden staircase).
It owes the name to the lavish
frescoes and gilded stuccowork.
It was from the Doge's Palace that the Venetian Republic was ruled
and it is still the highest expression of Venetian art.
It was the residence og
the Doge and the seat of the main government departments.
As one walks through
the its rooms the history and glory of the Venetian Republic is revealed in its
paintings and sculptures.
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Saint Mark's Basilica
The Basilica is a wonderful example of Byzantine Venetian architecture.
It was at one time the Doge's chapel but it was also the mausoleum for Saint
Mark, the patron saint, whose life is narrated in the golden mosaics on the
walls.
St Mark’s Basilica, a superb example of the
Romanesque-Byzantine style with five cupolas, was built (10thC) to house the
body of the St Mark the Evangelist.
The facade features five portals decorated in splendid marbles and mosaics,
and with a terrace dividing it into two halves.
On the terrace stand Four Horses of gilded copper (copies - the originals
are now preserved inside) that were sent from Constantinople to Doge Enrico
Dandolo in 1204.
Splendid mosaics in the atrium relate the stories of the Bible.
The imposing interior in the form of a Greek cross contains a wealth of
paintings and sculptures.
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Saint Mark's Basilica
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Of particular interest are mosaics of Veneto-Byzantine origin, some of them
reconstructed from drawings by Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese.
The Bell Tower adjacent to the basilica was once a lighthouse for ships. At
the foot of the tower is a 16th century loggia by J. Sansovino.
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Saint Mark's Square
It is trapezoidal, and the Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove run along the
two extensive sides. They are known as old ('vecchie') and new ('nuove') on the
basis of the age of the buildings over the arcades of the ground-level
porticoes.
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Procuratie Vecchie
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The Clocktower
The
Procuratie Vecchie
runs along the north side of the square from the Clocktower and have kept
their Renaissance features. They are followed by the Ala Napoleonica. This
was built in 1810 by the architect Giuseppe Soli on the site of the
demolished San Geminiano church, which was built Jacopo Sansovino.
An arcaded Renaissance period building, the
Procuratie Vecchie was once the residence of the Procurators of St Mark who
as magistrates represented the highest authority after the Doge.
Today on the ground floor premises there are coffeehouses, jewellers’, and
shops dealing in lace, blown-glass and precious fabrics.
A double-storey building extending along the north side of the square, it is
attributed to the architects M. Codussi and J. Sansovino and is now used as
offices or residences.
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The
Procuratie Nuove
runs along the west side of the square and includes the Libreria di San
Marco which was designed by Jacopo Sansovino at the request of the Venetian
Republic to house the codicils donated to it by Cardinal Bessarione. The
clocktower is at the start of the Merceria, the road that leads from
Saint Mark's Square to the Campo di San Bartolomeo. The name Merceria refers
to the many shops on both sides of it. The ‘new’
Procurators building, constructed on a plan by V. Scamozzi and B. Longhena,
includes the city’s Correr Museum, the Museum of the Risorgimento and the
Archaeological Museum.
At the fall of the Venetian Republic it became the Royal Palace; Napoleon
had a wing bearing his name added to it after having demolished the old
church of San Giminiano, which was originally on this site opposite the
Basilica.
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Archaeological Museum
This houses amongst other things the famous collections by Domenico Grimani and
by his nephew Giovanni. They are a priceless collection from the church of Santa
Maria Formosa. Upon leaving the Ala Napoleonica, just after the 'Bocca di
Piazza', we come to the
church of San Moisč
This originally eight-century building was rebuilt in the tenth century by Mosč
Venier, who wanted to dedicate it to the saint after which he was named.
The present baroque-style facade, based on a design
by Alessandro Tremignon, dates from 1688.
The bell tower standing on the right is in the typically shaped Venetian
14th century style with a brick spire. We then
come to Calle (Street) Larga XXII Marzo. This was built in 1880 by widening
Calle San Moisč and contrasted with the lower surrounding buildings. Today, this
road is lined with shops as far as Bocca di Piazza. These shops were chosen by
the most famous names in gold jewellery, leather goods and international and
Italian fashion and offer for sale their latest and finest products.
Info>>
La Fenice Opera House
Halfway down Calle Larga XXII we turn right into Campo
San Fantin
where the church of San Fantin stands. This dates back to the ninth century
but was rebuilt in the sixteenth century by Scarpagnino.
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Venetian Colors
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Today the Literary and Scientific Academy, this
Guildhall was also called “Of the good death” because the confraternity had
the task of accompanying condemned prisoners to the place of execution and
comforting them.
The ceiling of the ground floor hall was decorated by J. Palma il Giovane.
The La Fenice Opera House was originally built in 1790 to a design by Selva. It burnt down in
1836 but like the phoenix ('fenice' in Italian) it was rebuilt in the same
style by Meduna in just over a year. The opera house reflected the spirit of
Venice of the town. It was destroyed again by a fire in 1996 but
the determination of the Venetians brought it back 'the way it was' in
December 2003
We come back into Calle Larga XXII Marzo and go on until we reach Campo di
Santa Maria del Giglio
or Zobenigo with the church dedicated dedicated to this saint. 'Zobenigo' is
a reference to the Jubenigo family, who had the church built in the tenth
century. The inside is a single room decorated with the works of many
painters from the seventeenth and eighteenth century.
The church is a 17th century church with a splendid baroque
facade by G. Sardi, the interior includes works by J. Tintoretto, G.
Salviati, and A. Zanchi, and a painting attributed to P.P. Rubens.
Courtesy of
Venezia Tourist Board
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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