_The Basilica of St Mark_
Few things in the history of art are more remarkable than the revulsion
of taste that has taken place with regard to the architecture of Venice.
In the early part of the nineteenth century, before Ruskin wrote “The
Stones of Venice,” an English architect,[84] giving expression to the
professional judgment of the age, speaks of “the lumpy form of the
Cathedral which surprises you by the extreme ugliness of its exterior;
of the lower part built in the degraded Roman we call Norman; of the
gouty columns and ill-made capitals, all in bad taste.” “The Ducal
Palace is even more ugly than anything previously mentioned,” vastly
inferior to Palladio’s churches of S. Giorgio and the Redentore.
Disraeli echoes in “Contarini Fleming” the conventional lay praise of
Palladio, and writes of the “barbarous although picturesque buildings
called the Ducal Palace.” Even to-day the stranger fresh from the North
with memories of the massive towers and lofty spires of his own
architecture will hardly escape a sense of disappointment as he stands
before St Mark’s. The fabric will seem to lack majesty and to be even
less imposing than the Ducal Palace. It must, however, be remembered
that the raising of the level of the Piazza has somewhat detracted from
the elevation of both the basilica and the Palace. Fynes Moryson notes
in his Itinerary (1617) that “there were stairs of old to mount out of
the market-place into the church till the waters of the channel
increasing they were forced to raise the height of the market-place.”
[Illustration: A GONDOLIER.]
Whether there were any such intention in the minds of the builders is
doubtful, but in all communities where the sense of municipal liberty or
of secular independence is strong, the dominant civic power is
actualised in architecture. In Flemish towns the Hôtel de Ville and not
the cathedral is often the more important structure; even so in Venice
the subordinate position of the church is marked by the accessory
character of the ecclesiastical building, which in its origin indeed was
but the official chapel of the Doge, and only became the Cathedral in
1807, when Napoleon transferred the patriarchate from S. Pietro in
Castello--itself a poor thing architecturally--to St Mark’s.
Joseph Woods gave a shrewd criticism of Venetian architecture when he
characterised it as showing riches and power rather than just
proportions. St Mark’s was erected by a merchant folk, with all the
merchant’s love of display of wealth. Their taste was for costly
material rather than for nobility and grandeur of design. For centuries
the East was ransacked for precious stones to adorn the sanctuary of
their patron saint, and the captain of every ship that traded in the
Levant was ordered to bring home marbles or fine stones for the
builders. St Mark’s is a jewelled casket wrought to preserve the
Palladium of the Venetian people.
[Illustration: S. MARCO--MAIN PORTAL]
The fabric dates from the early eleventh to the late fourteenth
centuries. Its core is of brick, of which most Venetian churches are
built, and it is veneered with marble[85] and decorated with mosaic and
sculpture. When the eye turns from the whole to examine details, the
façade is seen to be composed of two tiers of arches--the lower of
seven, the upper of five spans. Of the seven, two form the N. and S.
porticos; five the western doors, whose recesses are enriched with rows
of columns wanting in unity of design, but of exceeding richness and
variety of material. They are mainly the spoils of Eastern churches,
and, if closely scrutinised, will be found to be incised with Eastern
crosses and curious inscriptions in Greek and oriental characters. The
capitals flanking the main portal, with carving of leaves blown by the
wind, are probably from the East, their prototype being at the Church of
St Sophia in Thessalonica, built in the later years of Justinian’s
reign. The main portal is spanned by an inner triple archivolt and an
outer main one. The under side of the inner arc of the former, over the
relief of St Mark and the Angel, is wrought with sculptures, whose
subjects are symbolical, and will be met with again and again in early
Venetian decoration: a naked man and woman seated on dragons; a child in
the open jaws of a lion; an eagle pecking at a lamb; a lion devouring a
stag; camels and other animals, wild and tame, in various groups. On the
outer face are similar carvings of boys fighting and robbing birds’
nests; men shooting birds with bows and arrows, and hunting wild beasts.
The work is exceedingly quaint, and affords a fruitful theme for
interpretation.
[Illustration: S. MARCO--DETAIL OF ARCHIVOLT]
The sculptures on the under side of the outer arc symbolise the months
of the year, with their appropriate celestial signs. May, a seated
figure holding a rose and crowned with flowers by two maidens, is most
beautiful and original in treatment.
On the outer face of the archivolt are represented the Beatitudes and
the Virtues, eight on either side of the keystone, which symbolises
Constancy.
On the under surface of the main archivolt are fourteen most beautiful
carvings, representing the chief guilds and crafts of Venice. To the
L.,[86] at the bottom, is a seated figure with finger on lip, said by
Ruskin to represent the rest of old age; by tradition it is the portrait
of the architect of the building, of whom the following story is told.
When Doge Pietro Orseolo determined to restore the church after the fire
of 976, a queer, unknown man, lame in both legs, offered to make St
Mark’s the most beautiful structure ever erected, if, on completion, his
statue were placed in a conspicuous part of the building. His terms were
accepted, but after the work had progressed some time, the stranger
incautiously let fall a remark to the effect that the church would have
been much more magnificent if certain difficulties had not intervened.
Word was sent to the Doge, and the statue was set in its present obscure
position.
[Illustration: S. MARCO--DETAIL OF MAIN DOOR]
On either side of the main portal are two doorways, spanned by richly
decorated Byzantine arches; that to the L., has the figure of Christ in
the keystone and two prophets with scrolls in the spandrils; that to the
R. has the keystone defaced; in the spandrils to the R. and L. are the
archangels Michael and Gabriel. The lateral doorway to the L. has in the
lunette a winged figure on horseback and symbols of the Evangelists; on
the lintel are some fine Gothic reliefs. The pierced screen-work in the
lunette windows should be noted, for in olden times the whole of the
window spaces in the domes were thus treated. The corresponding doorway
to the R. has in the spandrils, carvings of two archangels, and on the
keystone the Virgin and Child.
The beautiful lily capitals are at either end of the façade, and support
the arches that span the N. and S. porticos.
The late fifteenth-century Gothic additions consist of pinnacles and
gables of no structural value. They are seen in Gentile Bellini’s
picture,[87] dated 1496, of the Procession in St Mark’s Square, but are
absent in the extant thirteenth-century mosaic on the façade.
The mosaics in the lunettes of the five doorways are, with one
exception, poor in craftsmanship, but interesting in their storiation.
That of the central portal is a feeble representation of the Last
Judgment. Salandri, who executed it in 1836-38, had already been mulcted
for bad workmanship. The remaining four tell of the discovery and
translation of the body of St Mark. In the fifth porch, to the N., the
body of the saint being carried into St Mark’s, though largely renewed,
is a precious relic of the beautiful thirteenth-century mosaics that
covered the front in Gentile Bellini’s time, as may be seen from the
picture already referred to. The four mosaics in the lunettes on either
side of the great window above, represent the Deposition from the Cross,
the Descent into Hades, the Resurrection, the Ascension--all
seventeenth-century work. Beneath the great window stand the four bronze
horses, part of the spoils sent from Constantinople by Enrico Dandolo in
1204. They are said to be Greek work of the fourth century B.C., and to
have been sent from Rome to the new capital of the Empire by
Constantine. They remained in their present position until 1797, when
the “gran ladrone,” Napoleon I., sent them to Paris to adorn the Arc du
Carrousel. In 1815 they were restored to Venice by Francis I. of
Austria, as the Latin inscription under the archivolt beneath tells. A
magnificent festa was organised when they were raised to their old
position in the presence of the Austrian. The Piazza was bright with
gorgeous decorations; a superb loggia erected for the Imperial family;
an amphitheatre for the Venetian nobility. Nothing was wanting--but an
audience. The amphitheatre was empty; a few loungers idled about the
square. Cannons were fired; the bells rang a double peal; the music
played; the horses were drawn up--but not a cheer followed them. The
Emperor and his suite had the show to themselves.
[Illustration: N.E.
BYZANTINE RELIEF, NORTH SIDE, S. MARCO]
In the lunette of the N. portal, which gives on the Piazzetta dei Leoni,
with its two double cusped inner arches, is an early relief of the
Nativity, a work of great beauty, framed by the vine decoration so
beloved of the early sculptors. Among the many Byzantine reliefs with
which this façade is jewelled the most perfect is that of the Twelve
Apostles, symbolised as sheep, with the Lamb enthroned in the centre
and palm trees on either side. This exquisite carving will be found in
the last recess R. of the doorway.
[Illustration: BYZANTINE RELIEF FROM SOUTH SIDE, S. MARCO]
The S. façade, looking as it does towards the Molo, would in olden times
arrest the eye of the traveller as he entered the city. It is most
lavishly decorated. The reliefs and marble facings towards the Porta
della Carta are some of the finest that remain of the ancient basilica.
Their lowly position seems to have preserved them from the restorer’s
hand. At the angle is a rude Greek relief in porphyry, probably from
Acre, of two pairs of armed figures clasping each other. They are said
to represent Greek emperors who shared the throne of the East early in
the eleventh century. In the foreground stand the two beautifully
decorated marble door-posts brought from St Sabbas in Acre. They
should, however, change places to occupy the relative position they
formerly held in the church. Below the mosaic of the Virgin and Child in
the smaller arch above the gallery two lamps burn nightly in perpetual
memory of an act of injustice perpetrated by the Ten in 1611, when an
innocent man, Giovanni Grassi, was executed. The short porphyry column
at the S.W. corner is the old edict stone where the official notices and
laws of the Republic were proclaimed to the people.
[Illustration: CAPITALS, ATRIUM, S. MARCO]
At our feet, as we enter the atrium by the main portal are three slabs
of porphyry which mark the legendary, but not the actual, spot where the
reconciliation of the Pope and the Emperor Barbarossa took place. The
shafts and capitals of the columns in the atrium are among the richest
in the basilica. The mosaics, designed to instruct and prepare the
catechumen, illustrate Old Testament history, and for their simple
beauty will repay perusal.
[Illustration: I TRE PONTI.]
In the south cupola are three concentric zones of mosaics which
illustrate the six days of Creation, the Institution of the Sabbath, the
Fall and the Expulsion from Eden. The number of the day is indicated by
a corresponding number of angels standing beside the Creator with hands
uplifted in praise. At the institution of the Sabbath the Lord is seen
resting from His work with three angels on either side; the seventh
kneels receiving the Lord’s blessing.[88] There is a quaint portraiture
of the Lord clothing Adam and Eve,--Adam most uncomfortable, and Eve
looking reproachfully at the ill-fitting garment.
Five mosaics in the three lunettes under the cupola tell the story of
Cain and Abel, and under the vaultings between the first cupola and the
central vestibule is the story of Noah.
On the W. side of the next vaulting is the story of the Tower of Babel.
Below is the tomb of the Dogaressa Felicia, the young wife of Vitale
Falier, who, as the inscription tells, was a true servant of God and of
the poor, and who spurned luxury (_calcavit luxurium_).
The second cupola contains scenes from the life of Abraham. In the
lunette over St Peter, above the inner door, Abraham receives the three
angels and entertains them. Behind is Sarah at the door of her tent
laughing at the promise that she should bear a son. The third cupola
tells the story of Joseph, which is continued on the fourth and fifth
cupolas to the N. The sixth cupola deals with the story of Moses. In the
recess opposite the lunette to the R. once lay the remains[89] (whence
they were taken and brought to England) of Thomas Mowbray, Duke of
Norfolk--
“Who at Venice gave
His body to that pleasant country’s earth,
And his pure soul unto his captain, Christ,
Under whose colours he had fought so long.”
--RICHARD II., iv. I.
Returning to the main portal of the atrium--in the lunette is St Mark,
executed by the brothers Zuccati in 1545 from a cartoon by Titian. Below
in seven niches are the Virgin and Child and six Apostles; lower down on
either side of the portal, the four Evangelists. In the lunette, R.,
Raising of Lazarus; lunette over the outer portal, Crucifixion; lunette
L., Burial of the Virgin. These, which are among the finest mosaics of
the period, formed part of the work that the Zuccati had to answer for
in 1563. They were charged by the Bianchini and Bozza with having used
the methods of painting and not of true mosaic to produce certain
effects. The most famous tribunal ever brought together in the history
of art sat to try the case. It was composed of Titian, Paul Veronese,
Tintoretto, Jacopo da Pistoia and Schiavone. Although the Zuccati were
condemned to remove and replace at their own cost the work that had been
gone over with the brush, the honours of the trial rested with them,
Titian frankly eulogising their craftsmanship.
No sense of disappointment will be felt at the first view of the
interior. The symmetry of the architecture, the gorgeous mosaics, the
rich pavement, the precious marbles covering the walls, the manifold
variety of the columns, and (if the traveller have the fortune to be
present on Easter or St Mark’s Day) the dazzling brilliancy of the Pala
d’Oro glittering with jewels make a scene of oriental splendour not
easily forgotten. In earlier times, when the windows were filled with
pierced screen-work of marble, the church was much darker, for, says
Moryson, “the papist churches are commonly dark to cause a religious
horror.” Evelyn in 1645 found the interior dark and dismal.
Merely to name the subjects of the 40,000 square feet of mosaics in the
interior would weary the reader. We do but indicate the more important
and more interesting. The general scheme is designed to illustrate the
mysteries of the Christian faith and the story of the patron saint. Over
the main entrance is the oldest of the mosaics, probably an
eleventh-century work--Christ enthroned between the Virgin and St Mark.
In the book held by the Redeemer are the words in Latin, “I am the Door;
if any man enter by Me he shall be saved and find pasture.” A similar
inscription exists to this day over the Porta Basilica which opens into
the nave of St Sophia at Constantinople. In the half dome of the apse
the colossal seated figure of Christ in the act of blessing meets the
eye of the worshipper as he enters the church and walks towards the
sanctuary, even as it did in the apse at St Sophia.[90] In the centre of
the dome over the high altar is again the figure of Christ, and, above
the windows, the Virgin, and the prophets who foretold Christ’s coming,
bearing scrolls inscribed with their testimony. The pendentives bear
symbolic figures of the Four Evangelists, that of the Lion of St Mark
with a strangely human face, being designed with admirable force and
dignity. Scenes in the life of Christ are portrayed on the vault between
this and the central dome; the Passion and Resurrection on the vault
between the central and western domes. The great central dome is treated
with profound thought and fertile invention, and executed with infinite
care. In the apex is the glorified Christ seated on a double rainbow,
surrounded by exulting angels. Below are the Virgin, the Apostles and
the Evangelists alternating with olive and palm trees. The beautiful
figure of the Virgin stands between two angels. In the spaces between
the windows are the Virtues and the Beatitudes. They may easily be
distinguished by their inscriptions and symbols.
The W. dome treats of the Descent of the Holy Ghost. A white dove
standing on a book placed on a throne fills the centre, and from this
emblem of the Holy Spirit twelve streams of fire descend upon the
figures of the Twelve Apostles circling the dome. The men of every
nation to whom they spoke, each in his own tongue, are figured at the
Apostles’ feet between the windows.
In the dome of the N. transept is figured a Greek cross, in the centre
of which are eight Greek letters set in a circle, whose meaning is
doubtful. Near this centre, N. and S., is an alpha; E. and W., an omega.
On the arms of the cross the Golden Rule is expressed in a curious
rhyming Latin paraphrase, beginning on the E. and continuing on the W.,
N. and S. arms.
The dome of the S. transept bears figures of SS. Leonard, Nicholas,
Clement and Blaise. In the pendentives SS. Erasmus, Euphemia, Dorothy
and Thecla. While Vicenzo Sebastiani was finishing this last, he fell
from the scaffolding and was killed. On the vaultings of the transepts
are represented the parables and miracles of Christ. The vaulting to the
E., between the S. and the centre domes, has delightfully naive and
dramatic representations of the Temptation and the Entry into Jerusalem.
On the western side are beautiful representations of the Last Supper and
the Washing of the Disciples’ Feet. On the vaultings and the walls of
the aisles are stories of the martyrdom of the Apostles.
Modern mosaics illustrating the Book of Revelation, the Last Judgment,
Hell and Paradise, cover the vaultings beyond the W. dome and over the
W. gallery. They and many other of the mosaics are best seen from the
galleries.
On the lower walls of the aisles are repeated the figures of prophets
that foretold the coming of Christ bearing the usual scrolls. To the N.
are Hosea, Joel, Micah and Jeremiah, with a beautiful representation of
the youthful Christ in the centre. S. are Isaiah, David, Solomon and
Ezekiel, with the Virgin answering to the figure of Christ.
The story of the patron saint begins on the vaulting of the N. organ
loft over the choir, where scenes in his life and martyrdom are
portrayed. They are, however, partly concealed by the organ. These,
perhaps the oldest mosaics in the church, were largely restored in 1879
by the Venezia-Murano Company. Opposite, to the S., on the vaulting, is
most quaintly told how the body of the saint came to Venice. The
designers are very frank in their story of the Translation of the body.
_Furenter_, “it is stolen” from Alexandria.
On the W. wall of the S. transept opposite the Chapel of the Holy Blood
is told the story of the miraculous rediscovery of the body in 1094: The
Doge, clergy and people, with solemn fast and prayer, implore divine
aid, and a round column in the church opens and discloses the saint’s
body. Tradition, however, says that the body was found in the large pier
called St Mark’s pillar, to the left of the Chapel of the Holy Blood. An
angel’s head in full relief is carved above the spot, and a lamp burns
below an inlaid cross. The line of cleavage is still seen. Tradition,
however, would seem to be at fault in this matter, for when the pillar
was recently stripped of the marble facing, the solid core had clearly
never been disturbed.
The Baptistery and the Zeno Chapel, entered from the right aisle,
originally formed part of the atrium. The mosaics in the Baptistery were
executed by the order of Doge Andrea Dandolo (1343-54), but have been
partly restored[91] by the Venezia-Murano Company. In the lunette above
the altar is the Crucifixion. Weeping angels hover over the cross; L.,
are the Virgin and St Mark; R., St John the Evangelist and St John the
Baptist. At the foot of the cross kneels Doge Andrea Dandolo; at the
extreme ends kneel his Grand Chancellor, Riafano Caresini, and a
Senator. The table of the altar is formed of a massive block of Egyptian
granite from which Christ is said to have preached, brought from the
siege of Tyre in 1126. In the centre of the cupola above is Christ
enthroned; below is a ten-winged angel bearing on his breast the
inscription--“Fulness of Wisdom.” This is the first of the nine
Intelligences circling the cupola, which in mediæval cosmogony ruled
over the nine heavenly spheres.
The story of the Baptist’s life is told in the lunettes and on the
walls. The mosaic of the Burial of the Saint’s Body is said by Ruskin to
be the most beautiful design of the Baptist’s death that he knew in
Italy.
In the centre of the cupola over the font is a figure of Christ seated
on a double rainbow and holding a scroll on which is inscribed the
injunction to the Twelve to go and preach the gospel to all creatures.
Beneath, each is seen obeying the command in that country where
tradition places his martyrdom. Quaint local costumes are introduced,
and converts are being baptised.
Opposite the entrance is the tomb of Andrea Dandolo, the last Doge
buried in St Mark’s. On the workmanship of this beautiful example of
fourteenth-century monumental art Ruskin has lavished ecstatic praise.
Beneath the noble, peaceful figure of the Doge are the Virgin and Child,
two scenes from the Martyrdom of St John the Baptist and of Andrew, the
Doge’s patron saint, and an Annunciation. The long Latin epitaph has
been attributed to Petrarch.
The vault of the vestibule of the Cappella Zen is decorated with scenes
from the life of Christ before His baptism. The tomb in the recess is
that of Doge Giovanni Soranzo (1328). The Cappella Zen contains the
monument of Cardinal Zeno, executed at the beginning of the sixteenth
century. The altar is dedicated to the Virgin of the Slipper, whose
figure in bronze has a gilded shoe, in perpetual memory of the
miraculous alchemy by which her slipper, given to a poor votary, was
changed to gold. The Zeno tomb is a fine Renaissance work in bronze
which, together with the altar, was designed by the Lombardi and Aless.
Leopardi (p. 191). The walls of the chapel are decorated with the
history of St Mark.
[Illustration: S. GIORGIO MAGGIORE]
In the little chapel of the Madonna dei Mascoli at the W. angle of the
N. transept, where of old a guild of men used to assemble, are some fine
fifteenth-century mosaics by Michele Giambono. They are unhappily
injured by restoration, but in the main the early Renaissance feeling
has been preserved and the more natural modelling of the figures and
fuller architectural detail form a pleasing contrast to the stiff and
sometimes hard design of the Byzantine workmen.
East of this is the richly decorated chapel of St Isidore founded by the
same Doge and scholar who decorated the Baptistery. The work was not,
however, completed until 1355 under Dom. Gradenigo. The inscription over
the altar tells that the body of the Blessed Isidore was brought from
Chios in 1125 by Doge Dom. Michiel and now rests in the tomb below. The
sculptured figure of the saint and the reliefs to left and right
representing his martyrdom are fine work. The fourteenth-century mosaics
so faithfully wrought by the artists of that great epoch have needed but
slight repair and remain practically as they left them. Over the altar
is Christ seated between S. Mark and Isidore, and balancing this at the
opposite end are the Virgin and Child, the Baptist and St Nicholas. The
legend of the saint is illustrated on the walls. In this chapel we are
standing within part of the actual fabric of the old church of St
Theodore. When the S. wall of the chapel was peeled in 1832 it was found
to be blackened by exposure to the weather and pierced by a window with
an iron grille.
The group of worshippers ever before the altar to the left as the
visitor leaves this chapel will tell him that he is approaching the
shrine of the Virgin. Under a canopy is the miraculous Nicopeian icon of
the Virgin which was captured from Murzuphles and formed part of the
spoil of Constantinople. Doge Dandolo sent it to Venice in a specially
appointed ship, and in 1618 the present altar was raised by Doge Giov.
Bembo. The image (only exposed on Saturdays) was traditionally painted
by St Luke. It is lavishly decorated with precious stones and surrounded
by ex-votos.
Passing the altar of St Paul, bearing a statue of the saint and a fine
relief of the scene of his blindness, the chapel of St Peter is reached.
In front is a screen with statues of the Virgin and Child and four women
saints, the Massegne. In the apse of this chapel is the entrance to the
Sacristy, one of the most beautiful chambers in Europe. The magnificent
mosaic ceiling designed by Titian and wrought with perfect art; the rich
marble decorations; the symmetry and proportion of the architecture; the
chastened glow of colour will not fail to impress the spectator.
Beyond the altar of St Paul is the great N. pulpit. It is one of the
finest architectural features in the church and rich in historical
memories. Here Enrico Dandolo and other great Doges and prelates
addressed the people in national crises. Another pulpit smaller and
simpler in style stands to the S. of the choir screen, and an altar to
St James balances that to St Paul on the N. On the architrave of the
screen stand the crucifix, statues of the Virgin, St Mark and the Twelve
Apostles by the Massegne, signed and dated 1394-97. On either side of
the choir are three reliefs in bronze by Sansovino. The great
bronze-doors by the same master lead from the L. of the choir to the
Sacristy. The canopy of the high altar is borne by four marble columns
with reliefs (p. 187). The rude timeworn figures tell the story of the
life of the Virgin on the N.E. pillar and the life of Christ on the
remaining pillars, reading N.W., S.E. and S.W.
The gorgeous Pala d’Oro is exposed to view on Easter Eve and Day, and St
Mark’s Eve and Day. It may be seen on other days between twelve and two
on payment of 50 centesimi. This magnificent example of the goldsmith’s
art was made to the order of Ordelafo Falier by Byzantine craftsmen at
Constantinople in 1105. It was added to and restored by Gothic artists
under Pietro Ziani in 1209, and under Andrea Dandolo in 1345. The gold,
estimated to weigh thirty, the silver three hundred pounds, is set with
some 1200 pearls and a like number of precious stones. Most of the
jewels were, however, looted by the French in 1797 and are replaced by
inferior modern stones, which may be detected by the fact that they are
cut in facets. The upper compartment has in the centre St Michael
surrounded by sixteen medallions of the doctors of the Church. To the L.
are three panels: The Feast of Palms, Descent into Limbo, Crucifixion;
to the R., other three, the Ascension, Pentecost, Death of the Virgin.
The lower and larger compartment is framed on three sides by
twenty-seven small panels whose subjects are taken from the lives of St
Mark, Christ and the Virgin. In the middle is a large panel with the
figure of the seated Christ and four smaller figures of the Evangelists;
above are two archangels and two cherubim. On each side of the large
panel are two sets of six medallions, the upper and smaller of
archangels, the lower and larger of the Apostles. Beneath the figure of
Christ in the large panel are three plaques: the centre contains the
figure of the Virgin; L. of her is a crowned figure, which a Latin
inscription tells is that of Doge Ordelafo Falier; R. of the Virgin is a
crowned figure with a Greek inscription stating it to be the Empress
Irene. If, however, the observer will scrutinise the figure of the Doge
it will be seen that his head has been substituted for that of the
Empress’s consort, John Comnenus. On each side of these three central
figures are inscriptions which give the history of the Pala d’Oro and
six prophets bearing scrolls. The technique of the gold _cloisonné_
enamels is admirable. They are glorious in colour, partly translucent,
and allow the backing of fine gold to shine through.
Behind the high altar is the altar of the Holy Cross, adorned with six
columns of precious marble. The two spiral, semi-transparent ones were
reputed to come from Solomon’s Temple. The chapel to the S. of the high
altar is dedicated to St Clement. Beneath the cornice whence springs
the vaulting of the apse is a stern minatory inscription in Latin that
met the eye of the Doge, as he entered from the Ducal Palace through an
ante-room opening on this chapel. It is now but dimly seen, and runs
thus: _Love justice, give all men their rights: let the poor and the
widow, the ward and the orphan, O Doge, hope for a guardian in thee. Be
compassionate to all: let not fear nor hate nor love nor gold betray
thee. Thou shalt perish as a flower: dust shalt thou become, and, as thy
deeds have been, so after death thy reward shall be._
In the S. transept, answering to the Lady Chapel, is the chapel of the
Holy Blood, formerly dedicated to St Leonard.
The old and new crypts open to the public on St Mark’s Day, and at other
times on payment of 50 centesimi, are of great interest. In the centre
of the new crypt, that of Contarini’s church, is the empty tomb,
reaching to the roof, where lay St Mark’s body from 1094 until 1811,
when it was removed to the high altar where it now remains. Three steps,
topped by a slab of stone worn by pilgrims’ feet, lead to a
semi-circular cell with a small window once filled with pierced
stone-work. The ancient capitals of the columns of this crypt are of
great beauty. The older crypt with its rude brick vaulting that formed
part of the ninth-century basilica of Giov. Participazio, was drained
and cleared of rubbish, as the inscription tells, in 1890.
The chief object of interest in the Treasury, entered at the W. angle of
the S. transept, is the so-called chair of St Mark, wrought from a block
of Cipollino marble, said to have been sent to Aquileia from Alexandria
by the Empress Helena and to have been carried thence with the other
relics to Grado at the time of the Lombard invasion. Some beautiful
book-covers from St Sofia; a number of Byzantine chalices made of
precious stones; two fine candelabri attributed to Cellini; a ring used
at the Wedding of the Adriatic, are among the exhibits. The Treasury
was looted at the same time as the Pala d’Oro by the French. The room
itself, outside the fabric of the church, is of interest inasmuch as it
originally formed part of the tower of the old Ducal Palace. The body of
St Mark is said to have lain there from 829 until 832, when the church
was ready to receive it.
Before we quit the interior, the old rich mosaic pavement with its
quaint and beautiful Byzantine designs is worth notice. The uneven, wavy
form is due, not to any intent of imitating the waves of the sea, but to
the fact that the pavement is supported by the crypt and has settled
into hollows corresponding to the cells of the vaulting which, being
filled with loose material, are less rigid than the crown where no
settlement has taken place.