PlanetEye

Having experienced many things in Venice as well as the surrounding area, I have heard my fair share of Venetian lore and tales. One in particular that fascinated me is the story that I had heard about San Marco (Saint Mark) originally being buried in Egypt. So, in an effort to find out what really happened I took a trip to the basilica this morning to get some answers. What I found out is that San Marco is not the original patron saint of Venice. In fact, San Teodoro is. San Marco became the substitution in the year 828 when two Venetians smuggled his mortal remains back from the city of Alessandria in Egypt. When the remains initially arrived they were buried in Doge’s Palace, which sits next to the Basilica facing the Grand Canal, because the basilica had not yet been built. The initial church was extremely small and simply constructed. As Venice’s technology, wealth, and power increased so did the basilica having many different remodeling to reflect the current state of architecture and economy.

Why would someone do such a thing as to go all the way to Africa to smuggle the remains of a Saint back to Venice. The answer lies in an ancient prophecy. The story says that when Mark the Evangelist went to the lagoon an Angel appeared and said “Peace to you, Mark my Evangelist” thereby stating that God himself had determined that Venice was the true home of Saint Mark. The locals then acted to fulfill the word of God. And so, Saint Mark finally arrived in what is now San Marco Basilica, one of the most captivating basilicas in Italy because of the location and design.

If you have time, I strongly recommend stopping by the Basilica and taking a look around. Take the stairs to the upper level where you can exit onto the top of the Basilica and view the four massive horses up-close and personal. If you would like a bird’s eye view of Venice, exit the Basilica and take the elevator to the top of the bell tower directly in front of the Basilica. The view is, in my opinion, truly the best view of Venice. Safety tip: Check with the personnel on duty to find out if the bells are going to ring when you are up there…it could keep your ears from ringing later, instead of the bells.