St. Mark's Basilica

The Basilica of St.Mark the Evangelist, the cathedral church of the city and seat of the Patriarch of Venice since 1807, when it took the place of the former cathedral of San Pietro di Castello, is a living testimony of christian faith.

In particular the mediaeval mosaics, depicting stories and episodes from the Old and New Testaments, are not only a biblical meditation but also - like the ikons of the Eastern Church - a sign of God's presence in the world.

The present Basilica is the third church to be built on the site, following the one commissioned by doge Giustiniano Partecipazio to celebrate the arrival of the body of St.Mark in Venice in 828, and the X cent. rebuilding ordered by doge Pietro Orseolo I after a fire in 976.

In the second half of the XI cent. doge Domenico Contarini had the church entirely rebuilt on a much larger scale, though using much of the ancient foundations and masonry.
It was consecrated in 1904.