St Mark’s Square

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St Mark’s Square

Shimmering like a jewel in the top of the royal crown surrounded by gold and other gems in the form of the most precious palaces in Venice. Napoleon called it “The world’s most beautiful living room”, for its spectacular frame and beautiful pavement. It’s the most visited part of Venice and that for many reasons; It’s the only square in Venice, all the other open places are fields and it is the historical, financial, and political center of the city… Or at least it was when Venice was still a republic.

St Mark’s Square is the lowest part of Venice. At high tide, already at 86 centimeters ( … That happened on 66 occasions in 2019), the part of the square in front of the Basilica starts to get flooded. Even with MOSE that happens a lot, as the gates normally don’t close for high waters under approximately 100 centimeters.

St Mark’s square measures 175 meters in length, and 80 meters in width at the widest part because it’s not rectangular but trapezoidal; like a rectangle with a very long triangle attached to it.

The Piazzetta and the Piazzetta dei Leoni

Going southeast towards the Doge’s Palace you arrive at the Piazzetta – Small square. From there you can admire the balcony and the red-ish columns at the Palace’s facade from where it’s said that the Doge announced the death penalties. Further out to the dock, there are two high granite columns. On top of them are the statues of the patron saints of Venice, St Theodor, and the Lion of St Mark. Venetians never go between them, as this is the spot where the sentenced prisoners were decapitated. It’s just bad luck.

On the other side, there’s the even smaller Piazzetta dei Leoncini.

St Mark’s Square – When to visit

The best time to visit is in the evening when the cruise passengers are gone… Or in the early morning when the buzzing tourist crowds haven’t yet arrived. Just stroll along passing the many jewelry shops and caffès,  but before sitting down and having a coffee, read this. Then walk back in the middle of the square. A few years ago you could buy seeds for the birds on the square. You could then let the completely domesticated pigeons eat from your hand or from other parts of your body, while friends and family took pictures.

Selling seeds in the square is now penalized.

…As is sitting down on the stairs eating takeaway. Be careful, because lately, the police are getting less tolerant. 

But let’s take a look at what’s on and around St Mark’s Square:

Basilica di San Marco

• On the east side, there is the St Mark’s Basilica. The very first church was built at the beginning of the 9th century to house the bones of Saint Mark, stolen from Egypt at that time. The location was right next to the Palace and it was actually the chapel of the Doge and not the official cathedral of the City. The church burnt down in a rebellion in 976 but was reconstructed in 978. A second reconstruction started in 1068 and through a couple of fires and subsequential restorations, the current basilica was more or less completed in the 13th century.

Palazzo Ducale

Right next to the Basilica, there’s the Doge’s Palace. The history of the Palace probably begins in the 9th century – with the transfer of the ducal seat to Venice – but it is only in the 14th century that the radical transformation that would bring the Doge’s Palace to its elegant current appearance began. Over the centuries, the ancient foundations have been enriched with extraordinary constructions and ornamental elements that have given it the unmistakable structure that we can all admire today

 Il Campanile di San Marco

• The Belltower. Like a candle in the birthday cake, the Belltower is the highest building in Venice with its 99 meters. It’s actually the fourth highest Belltower in all of Italy and in the old days, no building or tower in Venice or elsewhere in the Republic could be higher than the Tower of Saint Mark’s. It was first built as a lighthouse for the ships but during the centuries it was slowly transformed into a … Yes, right, a Belltower. 

In 1902, on July the 14th, the Tower collapsed. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, apart from the ringer’s cat who was crushed by the masses of bricks and stones. It was rebuilt and in 1912 it reopened. What you see today is a replica of what it looked like in the 16th century.

Palazzo Correr – The Correr Palace.

The Correr Palace.

• The far end – west end of the Square is home to Museo Correr, The Correr-museum. It’s an impressive collection of art and all kinds of artifacts made by Theodor Correr. He was a dedicated collector of many arts in many different categories. After the fall of the republic, he started buying all kinds of art pieces in the plummeting market. The wealth and luxury of the lagoon city together with the extremely poor future prospects had led to a situation with lots of sellers, but no buyers. Correr saw the possibility of a lifetime and created an impressive collection in no time. From 1922, his collection is on display here.

Even more interesting is maybe the building itself. It was built by Napoleon even though he never saw it completed. After the French were thrown out by the Austrians, it became the Palace for the rulers of the House of Habsburg. Francis I stayed there for a short period and so did the very popular princess Sissi. After Venice had become a part of the Italia it again became the royal Palace, until  1919 when King Victor Emanuele III handed it over to the State for use by the Ministry of Education.

La Torre dell’ Orologio

The Clock Tower. On the northern side, close to the entrance of the Basilica, there’s the Torre dell’Orologio. This extraordinary clock is in operation from the second half of 1400 and it’s still working. There’s a very complex and interesting mechanism that brings out a procession of the three wise men, the Virgin Mary, and the archangel sounding a horn. On the top floor, there are two bronze figures hitting the Bell with hammers. These are commonly referred to as the Moors because of their dark color. An interesting fact is that the old moor, with the beard, strikes two minutes before the hour, while the young one, without the beard, strikes the hour. As symbols of the time that has passed and of the future.  

The history of St Mark’s Square

And so, at last, I have to tell you a little about the history of the only square we have in Venice. And the history is this: St Mark’s Square was actually a field, just like the others, a long time ago… At the beginning of the history of Venice, in the 9th century.

At that time it was much smaller and actually designated as an agricultural area. The republic needed food and what better place to grow it than right outside the Doge’s Palace? The Palace was completely surrounded by water at that time. The lagoon started immediately in front of the southern wall and between the Bell tower and the Palace, there was a basin and docks for loading and unloading ships.

Soon it started to become the city’s central and representative area though, as the importance of Venice and the republic grew. And as the whole area was completely burnt to the ground in the rebellion in 976, the city immediately rebuilt it in a new and more modern style. It was still much smaller than it is today. The southern border was in line with the northern wall of the Belltower. The western border was limited by the river Batario, and instead of 175 meters, the square was probably no more than 60- 70 meters long. 

The 13th century

It had to wait until the middle of the 12th century before it was amplified. Under the Doges Vitale Michiel and Sebastiano Ziani the small church of San Geminiano was moved further west to make room for the enlargement of the square (…how on earth did they move a church in those days?), the basin between the Palace and the Belltower was drained and the Piazzetta was constructed, the river Batario was closed off at Orseolo. The southern wall was moved further south so that the Belltower came to be in a more monumental position in the middle of the square. Before that, it was incorporated in the wall. 

After the sacking of Constantinople in 1204, a whole lot of additional pieces were brought over from the Byzantine Empire; Saint Mark’s horses now positioned over the front door of the Basilica, and the Tetrarchs now positioned on the corner of the Basilica just two meters from the Palace. More important than that was the huge amount of material, marble, and other precious building stones that came in. And suddenly the Venetians could start exaggerating in building Palaces of every kind. To that came the paving in 1264. Before that, Saint Mark’s Square was just earth.

From the 14th century until the end of the republic

From 1300 the changes continued. Venice needed more representative and formally luxurious environments and the somewhat military style of the early square was abandoned. The Procuratie that wraps around the square on the north and south sides, came into place in the 16th century. Around that time the last of the military barracks and warehouses were demolished.

In 1722 the two columns on the Piazzetta facing the sea were erected.

In 1723 the present pavement was laid, in Euganean trachyte from the hills southwest of Padova.

In 1797 Venice surrendered to the French and that was the end of the Venetian Republic. Out went the Doges and in came Napoleon. The French general changed quite a few things in the city, apart from stealing the most valuable pieces and bringing them to Paris.

He decided that the west side of the square should suit perfectly for the French administrators and so he ordered to tare down the San Gemiliano church that had been moved there in the 1100s. In its place, he wanted a stately building in line with the luxurious northern and southern walls. The structure wasn’t completed until 1836, so Napoleon never saw it. By that time he was long dead, and the Austrians were in control.

Today that part is referred to as the Napoleonic wing.

And now to the practical things:

The Doge’s Palace

It’s open every day from 9 am to 7 pm (Last admission 6 pm.) in summer and 9 am to 6 pm (Last admittance 5 pm.) in winter. Tickets can be bought at the entrance or online.

• The price is 30 euros. Children under the age of 7 enter free of charge.
• There’s a discount for children 6-14, Students 15-25, and over 65. These categories pay 15 euros.
• If you buy your ticket online at least 30 days before your visit, there’s a discount and the price becomes 25 euro / 13 euro for children, students, and over 65.
• At that price, three other museums around St Mark’s Square are included.
• There is no ticket for the Palace alone.

In summer the lines can be long and it’s highly recommended to book online.

Another awesome tip is to book the Secret Itineraries Tour. For just a few euros more you get to see some very interesting corners of the Palace with a Guide, as well as all that’s included in the normal ticket. This tour lets you visit the prisons, the so-called Piombi, from where Giacomo Casanova escaped on a cold November night in 1756.

There is also a new special Tour called The Hidden Treasures of the Doge. The route is a fascinating walk that brings you to a few closed-off spaces with the palace. But the particular feature is the artifacts coming from the collections of the museums, Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. The tour is aimed at making the objects as well as the places protagonists.

The Basilica

• The entrance costs 3 euros. Children under the age of 7 enter free of charge.
• Your luggage has to be deposited in Ateneo San Basso (Piazzetta dei Leoncini – in front of the Gate of Flowers, north façade).
• It is not possible to take photos or do video recordings inside the Basilica.
• You need to be dressed accordingly. While in some other religious buildings in Venice (… or Italy) the dress code can be less strict, here they will deny access if you’re not correctly dressed.

The Basilica is open every day from 9.30 am to 5.15 pm (Last admission 4.45). Sunday mornings the Basilica is closed and opens at 2 pm. Please check opening hours on and around Public Holidays as they may vary due to religious services.

The lines can be very long in summer though and you should book a skip-the-line ticket here.

In high season there is also the possibility to take a free guided tour.

The Belltower

Open every day from 9.30 am till 9.15 pm (Last admission 8.45 pm). On particularly windy or foggy days or days with otherwise extreme weather conditions, the Belltower will be closed.

• The ticket price is 10 euros. Children under the age of 7 enter free of charge.
• In summer it can be a very good idea to book a skip-the-line-ticket here too. In that case, the ticket price is 12 euros.

Here is another tip: If the line is too long or you just want to get a better deal, just skip going up the St Mark’s Belltower altogether. Take the Vaporetto from Saint Mark’s Square over to San Giorgio and go up in the Belltower there. You’ll have a better view, the lines are much shorter and it costs less.)

The Clock tower

The clock tower is open only for guided tours and you have to book in advance.

• The price is 14 euros. Children under the age of 6 are not allowed.
• There’s a discount for children 6-14, Students 15-25, and over 65. These categories pay 11 euros.

The Correr museum

Opening hours: Summer: 10 am – 6 pm (Last admission 5 pm). Winter 10 am – 5 pm (Last admission 4 pm).

• The entrance fee is included in the ticket for the Doge’s Palace.

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