La St. Mark's Basilica a Venezia it is the main church of the city, the city's cathedral and the seat of the Patriarch. It is one of the main monuments of St. Mark's Square commissioned by Giustiniano Partecipazio, it was built next to the Doge's Palace in 828 to house the relics of San Marco stolen, according to tradition, in Alexandria in Egypt by two Venetian merchants
La primitive church of San Marco was soon replaced by a new one, located in the present place and built in 832; this however went up in flames during a revolt in 976 and was then built again in 978, the architectural form as a whole is very close to that of the ancient Basilica of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.
The basilica is enriched with columns, friezes, marbles, sculptures, gold brought to Venice on merchant ships. In the thirteenth century, as part of the works that were transforming the appearance of the square, the domes were raised with Byzantine construction techniques. Only in the fifteenth century, with the decoration of the upper part of the facades, the current exterior appearance of the basilica is defined.
From the outside, divided into three different registers - lower floor, terrace, domes - width prevails, since in a city like Venice, which rests on sandy ground, there was a tendency to build buildings in width, with a more balanced weight. 76,5 meters long and 62,60 wide, while the central dome is 43 meters high. The façade has two orders, one on the ground floor which is marked by five large splayed portals that lead to the internal atrium. The central one is decorated in a monumental sense. The second order forms a walkable terrace and has four blind arches plus a central one in which there is a loggia that houses the quadriga.
La duration of the visit inside the Basilica is about ten minutes. All visitors are recommended to respect the sacredness of the place, remembering in particular that theclothing must be in keeping with the religious nature of the building, it is not possible to enter the Basilica with baggage or bulky bags, photographs and video footage are not allowed, explanations by voice are not allowed while the use of earphones is allowed.
- entrance times to the Basilica of San Marco they go from November - March / April (Easter)
Basilica 9.45-16.45, Sunday holidays 14-17 (free admission)
San Marco Museum 9.45-16.45 (full € 4, reduced € 2, groups over 15 people)
Pala d'oro 9.45-16.00, holidays 14-16 (full € 2, reduced € 1, groups over 15 people)
Treasure 9.45-17, holidays 14-17 (full € 3, reduced € 1,50, groups over 15 people)
March / April (Easter) - November
Basilica 9.45am-17pm, Sundays and holidays 14-17pm (free admission)
San Marco Museum 9.45-16.45 (full € 4, reduced € 2, groups over 15 people)
Pala d'oro 9.45am-17.00pm, holidays 14pm-17pm (full € 2, reduced € 1, groups over 15 people)
Treasure 9.45-17, holidays 14-17 (full € 3, reduced € 1,50, groups over 15 people)
Il St Mark's Campanile has other opening times:
October 9-19 (full € 8, reduced € 4, groups over 15 people)
November-March / April (Easter) 9.30-15.45 (full € 8, reduced € 4, groups over 15 people)
March / April (Easter) - June 9-19 (full € 8, reduced € 4, groups over 15 people)
July - September 9-21 (full € 8, reduced € 4, groups over 15 people)
To book theprivileged entrance at the Basilica of San Marco it is possible to book thanks to the site Veneto Inside at the cost of only 1 € to person.
