St Mark's Basilica is the cathedral church of Venice located in St Mark's Square. It is renowned for its Byzantine architecture and rich interior mosaics. The present church was completed in 1071 and has a Greek cross plan with five domes. Over the centuries, additions have increased its richness, such as the four bronze horses brought from Constantinople after the Fourth Crusade in 1204. The interior features geometric marble floors and walls covered in polychrome marble and mosaics depicting biblical stories.

1. St Mark's Basilica
ADITYA KUMAR
BARN1AR14002
Byzantine and Gothic architecture

2. Basic information
Location Venice, Italy
Domenico I Contarini Domenico I Contarini
Affiliation Roman Catholic
District Patriarch of Venice
Year consecrated 1084-1117
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusCathedral
Minor basilica
Leadership Francesco Moragli

3. INTRODUCTION:-
• The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark is the cathedral church of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, northern Italy.
• It is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples
of Italo-Byzantine architecture.
• The present basilica was completed in 1071. The plan is a Greek cross, and the
building is surmounted by five domes.
• Over the centuries, additions of sculpture, mosaics, and ceremonial objects have
increased the church’s richness. The famed four bronze horses on the west facade
gallery, for example, were brought to Venice at the time of the Fourth Crusade
(1204) from Constantinople.
• The floor is of inlaid marble and glass. In the restricted light their colours glow.

4. Specifications
Length 76.50
metres
(251.0 ft)
Width 62.50
metres
(205.1 ft)
Dome(s) 5
Dome
height
(outer)
43 metres
(141 ft)
Dome
height
(inner)
28.15
metres
(92.4 ft)
PLAN :-

5. Interior:-• The interior is based on a Greek cross, with each arm
divided into three naves with a dome of its own as well as
the main dome above the crossing.
• The dome above the crossing and the western dome are
bigger than the other three.
• This is based on Constantine's Church of the Holy Apostles
in Constantinople.
• The marble floor (12th century, but underwent many
restorations) is entirely tessellated in geometric patterns
and animal designs.
• The techniques used were opus sectile and
opus tessellatum.
• The lower register of walls and pillars is completely covered
with polychrome marble slabs.
• The transition between the lower and the upper register is
delimited all around the basilica by passageways which
largely substituted the former galleries.

6. Exterior:-• The exterior of the west facade of the basilica is divided in three registers: lower, upper, and domes.
• In the lower register of the façade, five round-arched portals, enveloped by polychrome marble columns,
open into the narthex through bronze-fashioned doors.
• The upper level of mosaics in the lunettes of the lateral ogee arches has scenes from the Life of Christ.
• The four bronze horses are shown in their place on the facade.
• We can for once get a good idea of the original compositions of the mosaics from paintings and other
depictions, especially Gentile Bellini's very large Procession in Piazza San Marco in the Gallerie dell ‘
Accademia.
• The stone sculpture is relatively limited at the lower level, where a forest of columns and patterned marble
slabs are the main emphases.
• It includes relatively narrow bands of Romanesque work on the portals, richly carved borders of foliage
mixed with figures to the ogee arches and other elements, and large shallow relief saints between the
arches.
• In the upper register, from the top of ogee arches, statues of Theological and Cardinal Virtues, four
Warrior Saints, Constantine, Demetrius, George, Theodosius and St Mark watch over the city.
• Above the large central window of the façade, under St Mark, the Winged Lion.
• In the centre of the balcony the famous bronze horses face the square.

7. Narthex or porch:-
• The 13th century, the narthex or porch embraced the western arm of the basilica on
the three sides.
• It was first built is uncertain but was probably the 13th century.
• Later the southern part was closed to obtain the Baptistery (14th century) and the
Zen Chapel (16th century).
• The narthex prepares the visitors’ eyes for the atmosphere of the gilded interior, just
as the Old Testament stories represented in its 13th-century mosaic ceiling prepare
them for the New Testament decoration in the interior.
• On the wall above and at the sides of the main doorway are the Four Evangelists and
saints, 11th-century mosaics, the oldest in the building, that decorated the old facade
to St Mark’s even before the narthex was built.

8. The Tetrarchs:-
• In an attempt to stabilise the Roman Empire
after the crisis of the third century, the
Emperor Diocletian imposed a new Imperial
office structure: a four co-emperor ruling
plan called The Tetrarchy.
• The famous porphyry statue
of the Four Tetrarchs represents the
interdependence of the four rulers.
• It was taken from Constantinople, during
the Fourth Crusade in 1204, and set into the
south-west corner of the basilica

9. MOSAICS
• Basilica of San Marco, the first images that come to mind
are those of the mosaics and their golden backgrounds.
• Mosaics cover more than 8000 square meters walls, vaults
and domes of St. Mark's Basilica.
• Byzantine in its architectural concept, the basilica is the
mosaic its natural integrating element.
• The mosaic decoration develops in about eight centuries
of history of the basilica.
• The mosaics of St. Mark's Basilica depicting stories from
the Bible (Old and New Testament), allegorical figures,
events in the life of Christ, the Virgin, St. Mark and other
saints.
• The mosaics, in which dominate the warm colors,
particularly gold, adorn the wide space of the basilica,
which measures 28 meters wide and reaches 21 in height
in the arcades.

10. • The space is enveloped in dim light, such as in
the Middle Eastern churches, which
continuously varies at different times of day,
with striking effects and intense ..
• The mosaics of San Marco are the most
significant testimony of history, the aspirations,
the faith of Venice and the evolution of
languages and trends that have characterized​​
his art.
• from the greek-Byzantine origin, the
indigenous artistic expressions and ability to
interpret and customize imported from outside
messages up to today, difficult art of
preservation and restoration of this precious
and complex artifacts.

11. Mosaic of
the
translation
of the body
of Saint
Mark

12. Horses of Saint
Mark- Lysippos
• The Horses of Saint Mark were
installed on the balcony above
the portal of the basilica in about
1254.
• The horses were long displayed
at the
Hippodrome of Constantinople,
and in 1204 Doge Enrico Dandolo
sent them back to Venice as part
of the loot
sacked from Constantinople in
the Fourth Crusade.
• The horses now on the facade of
the cathedral are bronze replicas.

13. Detail of the gable showing
Venice's patron apostle St. Mark
with angels. Underneath is a
winged lion, the symbol of the
saint and of Venice.

14. 10th-century gold and enamel
Byzantine icon of St Michael,
in the treasury

15. Dome with
Pentecost and
pendentives
with angels