The Church and the Square in the 11th Century
When the present basilica was built, water from the lagoon flowed freely onto the Square via a dock, lapping the edges of the church and the bell tower. A small water canal...
Saint Mark's Square in the 12th Century
During the reign of Sebastiano Ziani (1102-1178), 39th Doge of The Republic, the dock in front of the Ducal Palace was buried in order to build the present Piazzetta San Marco....
In 1177 the Pope meets the Emporer
During the 12th Century, one of the most important historical episodes of the time occurred in St Mark's Square. Through the mediation of the Most Serene Republic of Venice,...
Saint Mark's Square in the 15th century
The picture of Gentile Bellini, of impressive size (373x745 cm), is one of the most famous representations of Saint Mark's Square. It was done in 1496 and shows the...
The Ride of the Doge 'in the little well'
On the day of the Doge’s coronation, after he had taken his vows in Saint Mark’s, he would climb into a long sedan chair, richly decorated in the centre with a chair in the...
The Enrolment of Sailors in the Square
The Republic produced galleys for the most important types of merchant shipping, it armed them, provided sailors and soldiers and then put them up for auction to the highest...
Bull fighting
Bull fighting, in reality oxen fighting, was usually permitted during carnival period with the permission of the Committee of Ten. The bulls were attacked by trained...
L’apice della civiltà dei caffè nell’area marciana alla seconda metà del Settecento
L’immagine è un’istantanea della massima espansione delle botteghe da caffè nel cuore identitario della città....
The Procession in Piazza San Marco during the 16th century
The Procession in San Marco was part of a characteristic ritual which documented a fundamental aspect of the life of The Republic. The Doge, according to Byzantine...
The Fountain in the Square
On the 23rd of June 1884, a fountain was built in the Square to commerate the inauguration of the aquaduct which brought drinking water from the mainland to houses in Venice....
The Lottery Pavillion
Every year, during an evening in summer, the Square would fill up with people waiting for the Lottery Draw. This photo, from the end of the 1800s, shows the Pavillion where the...
The collapse of the Bell Tower
In July 1902, there was a dangerous build-up of silt on the north wall of the Bell Tower. Throughout the following days, the amount increased until, on the morning of Monday...
Saint Mark’s Square hosts the historic meeting between Hitler and Mussolini
On June 13 and 14, 1934, Hitler and Mussolini met at the Villa Pisani in Stra and then in Piazza San Marco in Venice. Five years later, on September 1st 1939, German’s...
Venice is liberated
On the night of 27 April 1945, Venice, following the example of other cities in the north of Italy, rose up against the Fascist-Nazi occupation. Political prisoners were...
The flood of November 4, 1966: Saint Mark’s Square submerged
At 10 p.m. on November 3, 1966, high water flooded Venice with unusual force. At 5 p.m. on the following day, the water level should have receded based on the tidal rule of...
Pink Floyd’s concert – a disaster for Saint Mark’s Square
On the evening of July 15, 1989, to mark the festival of Redentore, Pink Floyd, the well-known English rock band, performed a concert in Saint Mark’s basin, right in...