Piazza San Marco – often known in English as St Mark’s Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as la Piazza (“the Square”). The Piazzetta (“little Piazza/Square”) is an extension of the Piazza towards San Marco basin in its south east corner. The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice and are commonly considered together
VENICE : PIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE, ST MARKS BASILICA & DOGES PALACEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE, ST MARKS BASILICA & DOGES PALACEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE, ST MARKS BASILICA & DOGES PALACEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE, ST MARKS BASILICA & DOGES PALACEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE, ST MARKS BASILICA & DOGES PALACEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE, ST MARKS BASILICA & DOGES PALACEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE : VIEW FROM ST MARKS BASILICAPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE : VIEW FROM ST MARKS BASILICAPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE : LOGETTA VIEW FROM GROUNDPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE : VIEW FROM THE GROUNDPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE : VIEW OF VENICE FROM ABOVE THE CAMPANILEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS CAMPANILE , ST MARKS BASILICA, DOGES PALACEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : ST MARKS BASILICAPIAZZA SAN MARCO : SAINT MARKS BASILICAPIAZZA SAN MARCO : SAINT MARKS BASILICAPIAZZA SAN MARCO : SAINT MARKS BASILICAPIAZZA SAN MARCO : SAINT MARKS BASILICA INSIDEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : DOGE´S PALACEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : DOGE´S PALACEPIAZZA SAN MARCO : DOGE´S PALACE COURTYARDPIAZZA SAN MARCO : DOGE´S PALACE COURTYARD ENTRANCE STEPSPIAZZA SAN MARCO : DOGE´S PALACE INSIDE ARCHITECTUREPIAZZA SAN MARCO : DOGE´S PALACE INSIDE ARCHITECTUREPIAZZA SAN MARCO : DOGE´S PALACE INSIDE ARCHITECTURETwo large granite columns carrying symbols of the two patron saints of Venice. The first is Saint Theodore, who was the patron of the city before St Mark, holding a spear and with a crocodile to represent the dragon which he was said to have slainOn the rear corner of the Doge’s Palace is a sculpture of the Judgment of Solomon with the archangel Gabriel aboveOn an outside corner of the basilica of St Mark, are four antique figures carved in porphyry, a very hard red granite. They are usually known as the Tetrarchs and said to represent the four joint rulers of the Roman Empire appointed by Diocletian and were formerly thought to be Egyptian. It is now thought probable (or, at least very possible) that they represent the sons of the Emperor Constantine, praised for their loving co-operation on his death in 337, especially as the work originally stood in the Philadelphion (Place of Brotherly Love) in Constantinople, where the missing foot of one of the figures has been foundLion of Venice, Piazzetta San Marco The second (eastern) column has a creature representing a winged lion — the Lion of Venice — which is the symbol of St Mark. This has a long history, probably starting as a winged lion-griffin on a monument to the god Sandon at Tarsus in Cilicia (Southern Turkey) about 300 BC
