St. Mark’s Bascilica

There is a reason for the timing of our class tours.  I probably would have stormed inside this church on first sight, but I knew the guided tour with our instructor would be worth waiting for.  Of course, we had to read about the Fourth Crusade first!  It made this visit that much more meaningful.

Entering is free and we have no crowds this time of year.  It was the crowds that kept us away our previous two visits to Venice.  First impression:  dark and dirty.  Yikes!  I said it!  Where are those restoration people when you really need them?  I am guessing they are down in the under level which is closed for that purpose considering what the flooding in November did as we saw in the 60 Minutes segment last month.  Anyway, back in the classroom, we were each given a book on the mosaics that I failed to read first.  Our guide was so good that I believe I got more from her anyway.  The mosaics, various colored marble, Byzantine icons, the nave, five domes, and St. Mark’s symbol, the winged lion, are all inspiring. 

However….

It was the “extra” rooms and places inside the basilica (that cost a fee) that were really interesting!  The upper museum had fascinating views and artifacts.

Because the Fourth Crusade (1202 – 1204 ) ended up in Constantinople instead of Jerusalem in the Holy Land, the Venetians took care of their own business and sacked the Byzantine capital and left it wide open for plunder.  Most of those riches ended up in Venice including the four bronze horses.  Acid rain has caused these horses to begin deteriorating so they are now housed upstairs inside the basilica in this museum and those outside are replicas put there in the early 1980s.  What I found interesting:  In 1797, Napoleon had the horses forcibly removed from the basilica and carried off to Paris.  In 1815 the horses were returned to Venice. What goes around comes around, right?

We spent a bit of time with the Golden Alterpiece (Pala d’Oro) which faces backward behind the main alter.  It faces forward during services, but this setup is good for charging a fee to go back there to see.  Good strategy! It is about 10’ x 7’ and framed made of gold and silver, enamel plaques, and 1,927 gems. These gems include pearls, garnets, emeralds, sapphires, amethysts, rubies, and others.  Over 1,000 years old, it was already ancient when taken from Constantinople. 

So much to absorb!