St Mark's Basilica
Cattedrale Patriarcale Di Venezia; Procuratoria Di San Marco; Within The UNESCO Venice And Its Lagoon Site (1987) · Venice, Veneto
The Doge's private chapel for nine hundred years and only the cathedral of Venice since 1807: a Greek-cross church of five domes begun around 1063 and consecrated in 1094, modelled on a lost church in Constantinople and lined with more than eight thousand square metres of gold-ground mosaic laid over eight centuries. It was built to house the body of St Mark, smuggled out of Alexandria in 828, and much of what covers it was taken from Byzantium in the sack of 1204, including the four bronze horses now kept indoors with replicas on the facade. Behind the altar stands the Pala d'Oro, a screen of gold and enamel set with nearly two thousand gems. The floor floods before the square does, which is why an armoured glass wall now rings the building. Since July 2025 every ticket is booked online for a thirty-minute slot; there is no ticket office left, and no bag of any size is allowed through the door.
Piazza San Marco 328, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Sightseeing Monday-Saturday 09:30-17:15, last admission 16:45; Sunday and holy days 14:00-17:15, with the Museum and Loggia open from 09:30. Open free for prayer daily 07:30-19:30 through the Porta dei Fiori. Campanile roughly 09:30-21:15 in summer and 09:30-19:15 in winter, closing in fog and high wind. All tickets are booked online for a timed slot.
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