St. Mark's Square

Brief information

St. Mark’s Square grew out of a small space in front of the basilica and became Venice’s main stage. It was expanded to its present size for the meeting between Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Alexander III, and afterward city festivities, including the carnival, were held here. So San Marco is better read not as an empty space between buildings, but as a square that for centuries was adapted for ceremonies, power, and the urban spectacle.

The ensemble is organized around several anchors: the basilica stands on the eastern side, the Doge’s Palace is set toward the Piazzetta by the waterfront, and the long Procuratie buildings gather the sides of the square into an almost closed frame. Even the water takes part in this arrangement: strong Acqua alta tides periodically flood the paving, and the square becomes connected to the lagoon not only visually, but physically as well.

What to notice right away

It is worth comparing four things that show how the square was assembled around power and movement. The eastern side is anchored by St. Mark’s Basilica: the space of the square began from it. Nearby, the campanile with its loggetta dominates; the current tower is also important because the previous one completely collapsed in 1902 and was rebuilt by 1912. On the Piazzetta stands the Doge’s Palace, and closer to the waterfront are the two columns of St. Mark and St. Theodore; criminals were executed between them in the Middle Ages, so the pair of columns was not only a ceremonial marker by the water. The northern and southern sides are held by the Old and New Procuratie, while the west is closed by the Napoleonic Wing, which appeared after the church of San Geminiano built into that side was demolished. There was logic in the old paving too: the bricks were laid in a herringbone pattern, and the light-colored lines probably helped organize processions.