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The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark the Evangelist, Venice

One of the readers over at the NLM sent in these photos of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. The reason why St. Mark’s is usually referred to as a mere basilica is because for centuries this was not the seat of the Patriarch of Venice. From the seventh century, the Church of San Pietro di Castello was the cathedral of Venice, while St. Mark’s was the house church of the Doge, the elected duke of the Venetian aristocratic republic. It was only in 1807 that St. Mark’s was made the cathedral of Venice, and San Pietro di Castello reduced to co-cathedral status. But by the time St. Mark’s became a cathedral, everyone had already become accustomed to referring to it as “St. Mark’s Basilica”.




Published at 4:49 pm on Tuesday 26 January 2010. Categories: Architecture Church Tags: , , .
Comments

Majestic photos of St. Mark Cathedral. Evident in this structure are memories of the Church before the Great Schism.

“The reason why St. Mark’s is usually referred to as a mere basilica is because for centuries this was not the seat of the Patriarch of Venice.” As best I remember, there has never been a “Patriarch of Venice.” Rather, Venice is an ancient metropolis/archdiocese under the Patriarch of Rome.

— Ioannis 23 Feb 2010 12:42 pm

Nope, there has been a Patriarch of Venice since the 1450s.

— Robert H. 23 Feb 2010 1:11 pm
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