Saint Mark, Patron Saint of Venice
The winged lion known as the Lion of Saint Mark is found everywhere in Venice. Carved onto the outsides of buildings, above doorways, on walls, standing on top of pillars and stitched in glorious gold on the Venetian flag. The relationship between Venice and Saint Mark the Evangelist has endured since 828 when his body was brought to Venice.
The winged lion of Saint Mark showing the book which says: "pax tibi Marci evangelista meus" May peace be with you, Mark, my evangelist.
Mark the Evangelist, who was one of the Disciples of Jesus, wrote the Bible’s Gospel of Mark and founded the Church of Alexandria, was travelling through Europe when he arrived at the Venetian lagoon and according to Venetian tradition an angel appeared to him and said "Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum." (May Peace be with you, Mark, my evangelist. Here your body will rest.)
No doubt this was justification for bringing St Mark to Venice and the story of how his body finally arrived is just too wonderful.
According to legend, his body was stolen from Alexandria, Egypt, in 828. Two Venetian merchants, Rustico da Torcello and Buono da Malamocco travelling in Alexandria at the time, came across some priests from the Church of Saint Mark who were worried that Saint Mark’s relics would be damaged or destroyed by the Saracens (Muslims) during the persecution of the Catholics in Alexandria. Promising to safeguard the saint’s relics, the merchants convinced the priests to allow them to take them to Venice where they would be safe.
In the dead of night the body was taken out of it’s sarcophagus and the shroud was unwrapped. A lesser saint, Saint Claudia, was wrapped in the shroud and placed back in the sarcophagus. No one would know. The body of St Mark was then placed in a chest and covered with layers of pork and cabbage before being stowed on board the merchants' ship.
As was expected the Muslim officials demanded to inspect the contents of the chest. The sight and smell of the pork horrified them and the chest was quickly closed. Perfect.
The mosaic on the outside of the Basilica of Saint Mark showing the Muslim inspectors horrified at the sight and smell of the pork in the basket, little knowing it was hiding the body of Saint Mark.
While at sea, a storm almost drowned the merchants and their precious cargo, but it is said that Saint Mark himself appeared to the captain and told him to lower the sails. The ship was saved. The merchants said they owed their safety to this miracle.
There are many more stories about the crossing of the Mediterranean and on up to Venice and there may even have been some more miracles....
On their arrival back in Venice, the Doge ordered that a magnificent church be built next to his palace to house the Saint’s relics.
Saint Mark’s body was initially kept in a chapel at the Doge’s Palace, the chapel originally dedicated to Saint Theodore of Amasea who is venerated as a Warrior Saint and Great Martyr in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Unfortunately for Saint Theodore, who had been Venice's sole patron until then, Venice wanted to free herself from the influence of Byzantium and the arrival of Saint Mark saw Theodore relegated to a place of not quite as much honour on top of a pillar in Saint Mark’s Square.
The magnificent central cupola and statuary of St Mark's Basilica with the winged lion of St Mark in gold.
The church was built but unfortunately destroyed in a rebellion against the Doge. Even more unfortunate was the loss of Saint Mark’s relics during the rebellion and the second church could not be consecrated until 1094 when the relics were rediscovered.
Completed by the 13th century, Saint Mark’s as we know it today incorporates design from Romanesque, Gothic, and Byzantine styles. The gold mosaic, known as the Deposition Mosaic, over the left door of the Basilica shows Saint Mark’s body being brought to the church. It is the oldest mosaic on the outside of the Basilica dating back to 1260.
In 1835, Giacomo Monico, Patriarch of Venice, moved the body of Saint Mark from the crypt, which must be pretty damp beneath the basilica and placed it in the high altar.
The main facade of the Basilica of Saint Mark showing some of the glittering, gold mosaics.
Saint Mark is represented as a winged lion holding an open book. The lion symbolizes majesty and the power of the Evangelist's word, the wings symbolize spiritual elevation, while the book expresses wisdom and peace and the halo is the traditional Christian symbol of holiness.
Sometimes the lion rests his front paws on the ground showing the balance of power on land and sea.
One of the more interesting depictions, is known as the lion “in moleca”, in the form of a crab. Here the lion is depicted full-faced with its wings circled around the head resembling the claws of a crab. It is emerging from water, so that the lion “in moleca” is associated with the lagoon and the city, whereas the standing winged lion is thought to be more associated with Venetian territory around the Mediterranean.
