Your retro Virtual Italy Vacation continues as Thor and I admire Venice’s magnificent basilica, with its blend of Eastern and Western styles.
NOTE: Since travel is still on hold with the pandemic continuing, I’ve started a new blog series offering a virtual vacation and time-travel to my first big trip with Thor in 2008. Italy! Starting with highlight photos posted here on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, I’m continuing every week (with a few detours in real time). Join us in Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice, and Milan. Buon viaggio!
In the massive basilica at the heart of Venice, it’s easy to see the ancient Roman roots of the basilica structure of the Greek Cross. In Rome, the basilica was originally a place for legal matters and business transactions, rectangular with arched aisles lined with columns and branching off from the main entrance. Now in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, the form can differ, but the designation gives honor and authority to the basilica/church. Basilica di San Marco is, of course, dedicated to Saint Mark, with a statue of him and angels over the main entrance. Started in 978 A.D. on the site of an earlier church that housed relics of the saint, it has gone through additions throughout the centuries. Now, its sheer weight might be its undoing, along with the rest of Venice, as the sea slowly rises over the foundations of the city built on a bog — especially at high tide:
As the sea bubbled up from beneath the piazza pavers, staff people came out to arrange trestles for visitors to enter. At times, the piazza is flooded deeply enough for boats to enter.
One person didn’t want to wait, but I wouldn’t want to wade in this water after reading about alleged illegal dumping of toxic wastes in the lagoon.
The piazza and main entrance at low tide. It’s a huge tourist attraction as well as an active church, so there are always trinket vendors.
Somehow I managed to lose my photos of the trip, and Thor didn’t take that many, so I’ll add a few from common-use sites. The massive bell tower (courtesy of pixabay.com):
Beside the bell tower is the Library of Saint Mark founded in 1468, built in Venetian Renaissance style. It’s now mostly a museum.
Several side entrances to the basilica display elaborate carvings, mosaics, and statues.
The gold-accented mosaic over the main entrance (courtesy of pixabay.com):
The domes demonstrate the Eastern influence, as do many mosaics and other works of art confiscated by the Republic of Venice. The famous four bronze horses over the entrance were taken from Constantinople (now Istanbul) in1204. The originals are now in the museum, but the replicas are still impressive, and you can walk on the balcony right beside them. (photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org)
Thor and I visited the basilica in the morning to witness the effect of the rising sunlight inside the soaring dome and aisles. The priceless artworks, inlaid flooring, and mosaics were overwhelming to the senses, and I could understand the sense of religious awe inspired by this church. Though not a Christian, I always respect any house of worship. In this sacred place, with the beams of sunlight shimmering over the gold leaf covering the walls and the domes, filling the space with golden light, the very air I breathed seemed to fill me with glowing gold.
Turns out I was right: The several million old gold tiles contribute to the suspended dust particles in the air. An old saying has it that “the air itself feels fashioned of gold.” (photos below courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org)
I wanted to sit quietly to absorb the transcendent energy here, and found a small side chapel to sit with a few others who were meditating or praying. All those years of worship here surely have created a sacred space. Grazie!
next week: What happened to Casanova?
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