St Mark's Basilica, Venice, Italy

St Mark's Basilica is the seat of the Patriarch of Venice, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice since 1807. It is located on St Mark's Square in Venice, Italy.

History of St Mark's Basilica dates back to 829 when Venetian merchants brought relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria. The original church which was consecrated in 832 was burned in a rebellion against the doge Pietro Candiano IV in 976. Two years later the church was rebuilt but the present basilica was not completed until 1071 under Doge Domenico Contarini and consecrated in 1094.

The original St Mark's Basilica was a combination of Byzantine and Romanesque styles but numerous additions in Gothic, Renaissance, and Moorish styles were added later. Although construction works were completed in 11th century the decoration was not finished until the beginning of 19th century.

St Mark's Basilica if famous both for its magnificent facade and its richly decorated interior which was designed to form a Greek cross. Interior of the St Mark's Basilica is not only rich with works of the greatest Italian and European artists but it also houses columns, capitals, friezes and numerous marbles and carvings from some ancient buildings in the Orient as well as the Horses of Saint Mark and the Four Tetrarchs which were taken from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade in 1204.

Because of the large number visitors only a part of St Peter's Basilica can be visited.

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