Venice, Italy: St. Mark's Basilica - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide - Travel Bite

To gain religious importance and a kind of legitimacy, the Venetians needed some important relics. According to legend, St. Mark actually traveled here, personally bringing Christianity to the region. His bones would be perfect. So, in 828, Venetian merchants smuggled Mark's remains out of Egypt and into the church, shown here as it looked in the 13th century. Mark, looking pretty grumpy after the long voyage, became the city's patron saint, and his symbol, the winged lion, became the symbol of Venice. The Grand Church of St. Mark's was built in a distinctly Eastern style. Its domes and elaborate exterior remind us of Venice's close ties with the Greek, Byzantine, and Muslim worlds. The basilica is decorated with a ragtag assortment of mismatched columns and statues from different eras, much of it pillaged from Venice's rivals. The style? I'd call it early ransack. These four guys are a favorite of mine. It's an ancient Roman statue carved of precious purple porphyry stone, symbolic of power pillaged from far away, probably Constantinople, and placed here proudly as spoils of war. Of all the loot ornamenting this church, its grandest prize is a set of horses which for centuries looked out over the square. While these are copies, the originals are inside. These much-coveted and exquisitely cast bronze horses are a trophy befitting the city's power. And talk about well-traveled. According to legend, they were cast for Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC, taken by Nero to Rome, then brought by Constantine to his new capital in the east, Constantinople. Later, the Venetians grabbed them, only to have Napoleon swipe them to decorate an arch in Paris. Today, they're back in what Venetians believe is their rightful home. The church is covered with glass and gold mosaics, and, in good medieval style, they come with religious lessons. The entrance hall features an elaborate and cohesive series of Old Testament scenes. The Creation Dome tells the story of Genesis with Adam and Eve and the original sin. In a scene-by-scene storyboard, we see Adam lonely in the garden, the creation of Eve, and then trouble. From apple... to fig leaf... to banishment. The interior of the basilica glitters with its gold-leaf mosaic work. The remains of St. Mark lie beneath the high altar. The pala d'oro, or golden altarpiece, is a medieval masterpiece. Its stunning golden wall of 250 painted enamels features prophets and saints. And at its center, Jesus as the ruler of the cosmos.