Famous Churches - St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco),Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco),Venice, Italy

Blending the architectural styles of East and West, Venice's magnificent basilica was consecrated in 832 AD as an ecclesiastical building to house the remains of St. Mark. St Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) is one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture in the world. Located just off the Grand Canal, the gleaming basilica overlooks the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) and adjoins the Doge's Palace. In 828, Venetian merchants stole the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist from their original resting place in Alexandria, Egypt. It is said the Venetians hid the relics in a barrel under layers of pork to get them past Muslim guards. The relics were initially housed in a temporary chapel within the Doge's Palace, but a more substantial church was built to shelter the valuable relics in 829-32. This burned in a rebellion against Doge Pietro Candiano IV in 976, but was restored by Doge Domenico Contarini (d. 1070). The present St Mark's Basilica, which incorporates the earlier buildings, was completed around 1071. The Basilica di San Marco was the chapel of the Doges, but in 1807, it became the Cathedral of Venice. Exterior is decorated with Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic art, the west facade is composed of two orders of five recessed arches, supported by clusters of columns whose capitals were carved in the 12th and 13th centuries. The delicate pinnacles and other decorations at the top of the facade are Gothic additions of the 14th and 15th centuries.

Famous Churches - Milan's Cathedral Duomo in Italy

Milan's Cathedral Duomo in Italy

Milan's Cathedral Duomo has been a central part of the city's life since 1386, when it was founded by Gian Galeazzo Visconti. Milan's Cathedral Duomo is built on the place of the preceding church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the work on The Cathedral Duomo started 1386. It is the most important work of gothic architecture in Italy. During the construction of five centuries, the style has been influenced by many architects. The façade was started in 1567 and was built in a classic-baroque style with a certain variety of classical and neo gothic elements. In 1805, the front works were finished, while the construction of the statues continued through the 19th century. Milan's Cathedral Duomowas completed only in 1960, when the last bronze door was put into place.

Interior - Milan's Cathedral Duomo, Italy

In white Candoglia Marble the majestic construction extends about 157 m length, 93 m wide, and its tallest spire reaches a height of 108 meters. With its 5 naves it is overwhelmingly great and one of the largest churches in Europe. The Terraces on the Roof of the Cathedral are constructed of Candoglia marble from the Maggiore Lake. It presented a unique innovation in the construction of cathedrals roofs. The light falls through splendid stained glass inside. Fascinating is the decoration of more then 3,400 statues. The Golden "Madonna", the four-meter, gold-leaf covered statue of Mary stands at the top of the tallest spire. Milan's Cathedral Duomo is the fourth largest in Europe and the second largest Catholic Cathedral in the world.

Famous Churches -The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross), Florence, Italy

The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross),Florence

The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross)  is truly unique, not only for the purity of the Gothic style, but also for the famous works of art it contains and its historical importance.  

Interior - The Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence

Santa Croce, rebuilt for the Franciscan order in 1294 by Arnolfo di Cambio, is the burial place for the great and good in Florence. Michelangelo is buried in Santa Croce, as are Rossini, Machiavelli, and the Pisan-born Galileo Galilei, who was tried by the Inquisition and was not allowed a Christian burial until 1737, 95 years after his death. There is also a memorial to Dante, but his sarcophagus is empty. The present basilica, traditionally attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio, was built from 1295, on the site where, around 1210, the first Franciscan Friars to arrive in Florence had a small oratory. Santa Croce is planned as an Egyptian cross (in the shape of a T), with an open timber roof; there are many tomb slabs set into the pavement. The nave is wide and well-lit, with massive widely-spaced piers supporting pointed arches. The facade with its three gables dates to the 19th century and the campanile in Gothic style also dates to this period. A portico of airy arches runs along the left flank and shelters the 14th-century tomb of Francesco Pazzi. The imposing interior has a nave and two side aisles separated by slender octagonal piers from which spring spacious pointed arches with a double molding. The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross), Florence, Italy also contains numerous examples of typically Renaissance sculpture. The most famous of these is the Crucifix by Donatello (1425, Bardi Chapel in the left transept) and his aristocratic Annunciation in grey stone with gilded highlights (1430-35), recently restored by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. The Pulpit by Benedetto da Maiano (1472-80) or the Madonna of Milk by Antonio Rossellino (1478), placed above the tomb of Francesco Nori, prior of the Republic, who died saving Lorenzo the Magnificent life at the time of the " Pazzi Conspiracy", the two funeral monuments by Bernardo Rossellino (1444-1451) and Desiderio da Settignano (1455-64). The former, dedicated to Leonardo Bruni (1369-1444), humanist and Chancellor of the Republic, is considered a prototype among Renaissance tomb monuments.

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