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.

The Church of San Zaccaria, Venice, Northern Italy

The Church of San Zaccaria, Venice, Northern Italy

San Zaccaria is a church in Venice, Northern Italy, dedicated to St. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, whose body it purportedly contains. It is a large edifice, located in the quiet Campo San Zaccaria, just off the waterfront to the south east of St. Mark's Basilica. Church of Saint Zachary located at Castello, Campo San Zaccaria, Venice, Italy. Doge Giustiniano Partecipazio and the Byzantine Emperor Leo V (Leo the Armenian) founded The Church of San Zaccaria in the 9th century. The Church of San Zaccaria  was altered in the 10th and 11th centuries, and rebuilt in the 15th century. The façade is one of the most extraordinary examples of the initial phase of the Venetian Renaissance. Antonio Gambello built the high stylobate (base) with its Gothic Elements. Between 1480 and 1500, his successor, Mauro Codussi, erected the various parts above it in Early Renaissance Style. The church was attached to a Benedictine Monastery, which was visited by the doge annually at Easter.

Holy Conversation by Giovanni Bellini

The Church is ornamented with some striking artwork, which are well signed.
The interior of the church has an apse surrounded by an ambulatory lit by tall Gothic windows, a typical feature of Northern European church architecture, which is unique in Venice. The church houses one of the most famous work Holy Conversation by Giovanni Bellini, the San Zaccaria Altarpiece.
Venetian Tidal Waters partially covering the crypt floor is worth visiting. Crypt has a lovely Bellini, a shrine to St. Zaccaria and a very interesting side chapel, which contains beautiful choir stalls and three beautiful carved and gilt altarpieces.

Blessing Christ