St Mark's Basilica
Basilica di San Marco · Venice (St Mark's Square), Italy
The Venetian Republic's 'state chapel': golden mosaic domes and four bronze horses brought back from Constantinople.
Know before you go
- Don't enter in a vest or shorts
- don't take photos inside
- don't feed the pigeons or sit on the ground to eat in the square
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
Bronze horses brought from Constantinople
The Fourth Crusade strayed from its intended course and in 1204 captured and sacked Constantinople, with the aged, blind Doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo, playing a decisive role. Great quantities of Byzantine spoils were shipped back to Venice, including four gilded bronze horses that had stood in Constantinople's Hippodrome; they were installed above the main entrance of St Mark's Basilica. Since 1974 the originals have been kept indoors, replaced by copies on the balcony.
Source: Wikipedia: St Mark's Basilica; Wikipedia: Venice; Wikipedia: Enrico Dandolo
History
A saint shipped from Alexandria
Several medieval chronicles record that in 828–829 two Venetian merchants carried the body of St Mark (without the head) from Alexandria in Egypt to Venice. The relics were first placed in a corner tower of the Doge's Palace, then moved into the first St Mark's church when it was completed before 836. St Mark's symbol — the winged lion — has spread across Venice ever since. In 1968 some of the relics were returned to the Coptic Church in Alexandria to be reunited with the head.
Legend
The angel's prophecy
The basilica's mosaics tell a story of 'predestination': an angel once foretold to St Mark that one day he would be buried in Venice. This legend gave Venice's possession of the saint's relics a 'divine mandate'. The basilica also has a pillar where, it is said, the relics were miraculously found again in 1094, a scene depicted in the mosaic opposite.
Source: Wikipedia: St Mark's Basilica
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
St Mark's Basilica houses the relics of Venice's patron saint, the evangelist St Mark. The present building is the third church on the site, begun around 1063 and modelled on the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, blending Byzantine, Romanesque and Islamic styles. Until the fall of the Republic in 1797 it was the doge's private chapel; only in 1807 did it become the cathedral of the Patriarch of Venice. After the Fourth Crusade many columns, reliefs and the famous four gilded bronze horses were taken from Constantinople; since 1974 the originals have been kept indoors, with copies on the balcony.
Local customs
- Cover shoulders and knees to enter
- photography and filming are banned inside
- large bags cannot be taken in and must be checked
Religion & beliefs
Catholic cathedral of the Patriarch of Venice.
Etiquette
Etiquette & taboos
Rules that apply here
Italy: don't drive into historic-centre limited traffic zones (ZTL)
- Park outside restricted zones and walk into town
- Driving into a ZTL zone without a permit
You will be fined.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice
Italy: validate your ticket before boarding
- Validate your ticket in the machine before using public transport
- Travelling with an unvalidated ticket
Inspectors will fine you on the spot.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice
Italy: don't buy from unlicensed street vendors
- Shop at proper stores
- Buying from unlicensed street vendors
It is illegal, and local police may stop and fine you.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice
Italy: rules around monuments and fountains
- Keep the area around monuments clean and quiet
- Going into or splashing in public fountains (Florence, Rome and elsewhere)
- Swimming in Venice's canals
- Eating and drinking next to major churches, monuments and public buildings
- Sitting on monument steps, littering, or scratching or writing on monuments
All are local offences; urinating in public can bring a fine of up to €10,000.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice
Rome's Spanish Steps: no sitting, eating or drinking
- Walk up the steps and keep moving after your photo
- Sitting, resting, eating or drinking on the steps
Banned by Rome's urban police regulations since 2019; media report fines of €250, rising to €400 for dirtying or damaging the steps.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: ANSA: Rome bans sitting on the Spanish Steps (2019)
Don’t DON'T
- Don't enter in a vest or shorts
- don't take photos inside
- don't feed the pigeons or sit on the ground to eat in the square
Locals appreciate DO
Venetians appreciate visitors who dress appropriately and don't block the square's walkways while queuing.
Plan your visit
Practical info
| Best time | At opening time |
|---|---|
| Time needed | 1–1.5 hours |
Travel tips
- You can book an entry time slot online
- the museum upstairs lets you see the original bronze horses up close and look down on St Mark's Square from the balcony
- in the acqua alta season the square may flood
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