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145-639: The small district includes many of Venice's most famous sights, including St Mark's Square , Saint Mark's Basilica , the Doge's Palace , Harry's Bar , the Palazzo Dandolo , Palazzo Corner Contarini dei Cavalli , Palazzo Corner Valmarana , Palazzo D'Anna Viaro Martinengo Volpi di Misurata , Palazzo Cavalli , San Moisè , the La Fenice theatre, the Palazzo Grassi and Palazzo Bellavite , and

290-580: A column on which the so-called Tetrarchs stood. Across the water (the Bacino di San Marco ) at the end of the Piazzetta can be seen the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and the brilliant white façade of Palladio's church there. The history of the Piazza San Marco can be conveniently covered in four periods, but the only pre-renaissance buildings and monuments still standing there are St Mark's,

435-475: A continuous arcade of stilted (i.e. tall and narrow) Byzantine arches below and a single storey above, with two windows above each arch. The ground floor rooms were let out for shops to provide an income. These buildings remained in place for about 300 years and we can see exactly how they looked in 1496 in Gentile Bellini's painting of a procession in the piazza. This painting also shows the buildings on

580-472: A distinguished political career, although it was often an intermediate position prior to election as doge. The office originated in the ninth century with a single procurator operis Sancti Marci , nominated to assist the doge in the administration of the Church of Saint Mark , the ducal chapel. Over time the number of procurators increased. By the mid-thirteenth century there were four procurators, two of which,

725-451: A great mystery". In 1438 a contract was made with Giovanni and Bartolomeo Buon for the construction of a great ceremonial doorway into the palace. This was the Porta della Carta and connected the newly constructed wing of the palace with the south wall of St Mark's. Giovanni was nearing the end of his life and the gateway is mainly the work of Bartolomeo. It was completed by 1442 and included

870-590: A new church to be built. This first church of St Mark was begun on the south side of the existing chapel; by 836 construction was sufficiently advanced for the relics to be moved there. The design of the church was based on the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Constantinople and it seems to have covered the same area as the central part of the present church. A campanile was first built in the time of Doge Pietro Tribuno (888–91). At that time there

1015-665: A palace for his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais, his viceroy in Venice, and now houses the Museo Correr. At the far end the Procuratie meet the north end of Sansovino's Libreria (mid-16th century), whose main front faces the piazzetta and is described there. The arcade continues round the corner into the Piazzetta. Opposite to this, standing free in the piazza, is St Mark's Campanile (1156–73 last restored in 1514), rebuilt in 1912 com'era, dov'era ("as it was, where it was") after

1160-477: A row of large Ionic columns is superimposed on a series of Serlians . Scamozzi, while acknowledging the existence of both Roman and Renaissance precedents, was critical of such layering. In his design for the additional floor of the Procuratie Nuove, the series of Corinthian columns rests against a simple wall. As a result, the third level lacks the deep recesses and the strong chiaroscuro effect of

1305-516: A sculpture of the Doge Francesco Foscari kneeling before the lion of St Mark. The statues of the cardinal virtues on either side were by another hand. Originally the whole gateway was painted and gilded. This is just visible in the right background of Gentile Bellini's painting of 1496, which shows the piazza in its state at this time, still narrow and with the old 13th-century buildings on either side. In 1493 an astronomical clock

1450-488: A series of dilapidated medieval structures, it represented the culmination of an extensive programme of urban renewal that lasted over a hundred years and profoundly transformed Venice's city centre, giving it the appearance of a great classical forum. Both the official residences in the Procuratie Nuove and the rental apartments in the Procuratie Vecchie were built above arcades with space on the ground floor that

1595-449: A source of revenue to finance building projects and repairs. Rental income was significant, given the prestige of the location. But the apartments were eventually sold to raise immediate money for the government, and several of them were subsequently transformed into clubhouses. The Procuratie Nuove on the southern side housed the official residences of the procurators. Built between the late-sixteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries to replace

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1740-481: A two-storey loggia with a grand staircase in the rear was accepted. In 1810, Antolini's project was abandoned and the section of the building already constructed was demolished. The wing of the Procuratie Vecchie was also demolished and replaced by the actual building, designed by Giuseppe Maria Soli , professor of Architecture at the University of Modena , in a Neoclassical manner. The first two floors of

1885-590: Is kept in the Doge's Palace). 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. The columns are now thought to have been erected about 1268, when the water was closer and they would have been on

2030-578: 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 southeast corner (see plan). The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice and are referred to together. This article relates to both of them. A remark usually attributed (though without proof) to Napoleon calls

2175-406: The giovani found themselves in a position of greater strength vis-à-vis the papalisti , they actively sought to limit any further change to Saint Mark's Square. Disapproval of the magnitude and grandeur of the project was voiced as early as 1589 when the design was criticized for its rich adornment, considered disparagingly more appropriate to a theatre in reference to Scamozzi's work at

2320-408: The Church of San Geminiano on the western side of the square. Despite the need to increase the number of apartments available to the procurators, Scamozzi's design was for only six apartments. These were divided into three consecutive units, each eleven arcades wide. The two apartments on the upper floors, one atop the other, shared a single courtyard with staircases and entries onto the square and

2465-577: The Italian Peninsula at the end of the War of the League of Cognac . The programme, which included the mint (begun 1536), the library (begun 1537), and the loggia of the bell tower (begun 1538), called for the radical transformation of Saint Mark's Square from an antiquated medieval town centre with food vendors, money changers, and even latrines into a classical forum . The intent was to evoke

2610-634: The Kingdom of Italy . Today, much of the Procuratie Nuove and the Napoleonic Wing house the Museo Correr . The office of procurator of Saint Mark, considered second only to that of the doge in prestige, was one of the few lifetime appointments in the Venetian government. It was routinely occupied by nobles belonging to the most influential families and typically represented the climax of

2755-575: The Olympic Theatre in Vicenza . The opposition to the building programme intensified following the death in 1595 of procurator Marcantonio Barbaro , Scamozzi's chief supporter, with radical proposals to demolish the part that had already been completed and erect a structure similar to the Procuratie Vecchie on the northern side of the square. It was alternatively suggested that the project be returned to its original two-floor design. Ultimately,

2900-863: The churches of San Beneto , San Fantin , Santa Maria del Giglio , San Maurizio , San Moisè , Santo Stefano , San Salvador , San Zulian and San Samuele . The area is densely built and was the location of Venice's government. It is now heavily touristed and there are many hotels , banks and expensive shops . San Marco is also a place which is used in several video games such as in Tekken , Assassin's Creed II , and Venetica . 45°26′02″N 12°19′59″E  /  45.434°N 12.333°E  / 45.434; 12.333 Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjattsa san ˈmarko] ; Venetian : Piasa San Marco ), often known in English as St Mark's Square ,

3045-536: The fall of the Republic of Venice to Napoleon , the Procuratie Nuove was adapted to serve as the official residence of Eugène de Beauharnais , the viceroy of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy , during the second period of French domination (1805–1815). The former apartments of the procurators were decorated by Giovanni Battista Canal and Giuseppe Borsato between 1807 and 1813, under the influence of

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3190-663: The four horses of San Marco to be taken down and sent to Paris together with the bronze lion on the column in the Piazzetta. They were removed in December 1797. In January 1798 under the Treaty of Campoformio the Austrians moved into Venice in place of the French. This first Austrian ascendancy lasted from 1798 to 19 January 1806, when the French moved back after Napoleon's victories at Austerlitz and Jena and his establishment of

3335-410: The overseas possessions , thus ensuring their presence in the city. The position also brought economic and financial influence through the management of vast amounts of capital and of investments in commercial and private real estate, in government bonds , and in securities and deposits . With the exception of the Doge's Palace , the procurators de supra were also specifically responsible for

3480-409: The ridotti of the procurators as well as the library , consisting in the precious collection of Greek and Latin manuscripts, entrusted to the care of the procurators, that Cardinal Bessarion had donated to the Republic in 1468 with the request that a library of public utility be founded. There was no further reference to a continuation along the southern side of the square until the 1550s when work

3625-461: The sack of Rome , and by 1529 he had been appointed as Proto (consultant architect and buildings manager) to the Procurators of St. Mark. The Procurators wished to rebuild the old buildings on the south side of the Piazza, but Sansovino persuaded them that the opportunity should be taken to enlarge the Piazza and that these buildings should be demolished and the building line moved back clear of

3770-405: The 'Rimedio' wine shop opened. It was subsequently purchased by Giorgio Quadri and transformed into Caffè Quadri . Other coffeeshops in the Procuratie Vecchie eventually included 'Re di Francia', 'Abbondanza', 'Pitt l'eroe', 'Orfeo', 'Redentore', 'Coraggio', 'Speranza', and 'Specchi'. 'Alla Regina d'Ungheria', the modern-day Caffè Lavena , opened in 1750. Due to the enviable site, the rents for

3915-589: The 13th century, much valuable material was taken from the city and shipped back for the adornment of Venice. This included marbles and pillars for the façade of St Mark's, the two square pillars in the piazzetta known (wrongly) as the Pillars of Acre and probably also the Pietra del Bando (near the south west corner of St Mark's) and the four porphyry figures known as the Tetrarchs, which were eventually installed near

4060-560: The Ala Napoleonica (the Napoleonic Wing) was built between 1810 and 1813. The façade of the two lower storeys is in the manner of the Procuratie Nuove, but the upper storey, containing the ceremonial entrance and the ballroom, has no windows or arches and is decorated with statues and sculpture in low relief. In the centre there was originally to have been a statue of Napoleon as Jupiter with the imperial arms above, but this

4205-598: The Basilica on 13 December 1815, but the bronze lion had been badly broken and had to be repaired. It was placed back on its pillar in April 1816. The Piazza was paved in the late 12th century with bricks laid in a herringbone pattern . Bands of light-colored stone ran parallel to the long axis of the main piazza. These lines were probably used in setting up market stalls and in organizing frequent ceremonial processions. This original pavement design can be seen in paintings of

4350-470: The Doge's Palace and the two great columns in the Piazzetta. The first patron saint of Venice was St Theodore , a Greek warrior saint, and the first chapel of the Doge was dedicated to him. It was probably built about 819 and stood near the site of the present church of St Mark. In 828–829 relics of St Mark were stolen from Alexandria and brought to Venice, and in time the Venetians and the Doge adopted

4495-414: The Doge's Palace, whereas the offices of the procurators de citra and de ultra were situated in the area built by Scamozzi. Curiously, in 1552 when the library was still under construction, the practice began of extracting by lot the use of the balconies by the procurators and their guests to observe the carnival celebrations in the Piazzetta. The designated area for the offices, accessible by means of

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4640-428: The French decorator Charles Percier who was in Venice in 1807. For the decoration of the throne room and the dining room, Pietro Moro and Sebastiano Santi were also involved. Giovanni Carlo Bevilacqua collaborated in other rooms. Modifications were also made in 1834–1836 and 1853–1857, during the subsequent period of Austrian domination (1815–1866), when the Procuratie Nuove served as an imperial residence. After

4785-489: The Great Council in 1293, and the wording makes it clear that it was already on the pillar at that date. A statue of St Theodore (but not the present statue) was in place by 1329. It was also at this time, in the later 13th century, that St Mark's was being given its new west façade embellished with marble and mosaics and trophies from Constantinople, including the four horses. The original 9th-century Doge's palace

4930-421: The League of Cambrai ) the whole of the south side of the Piazza was rebuilt, starting in 1517. The new buildings, known today as the Procuratie Vecchie, were three storeys high instead of two. Like the previous Procuratie they had an arcade on the ground level with two windows above each arch, but without the high Byzantine arches and with classical details. In 1527 Jacopo Sansovino came to Venice, fleeing from

5075-510: The Libreria. All these works were proceeding together for many years after 1537. The new Loggetta was complete by 1545 and the Zecca by 1547 (though a third storey was added by 1566), but work on the Libreria was held up by the difficulty of finding new premises for the businesses which were displaced as well as by shortage of funds and only sixteen bays (out of twenty-one) had been finished before

5220-413: The Napoleonic Wing continue the repeatable bays of Sansovino's design for the library which Scamozzi had also used for the Procuratie Nuove on the southern side of the square. To then visually link the new building to the northern side, Soli designed an attic floor, the height of which corresponds to the roofline crenellation of the Procuratie Vecchie. The attic was also conceived as a means of concealing

5365-435: The Piazza San Marco "the drawing room of Europe". The square is dominated at its eastern end by St Mark's Basilica . It is described here by a perambulation starting from the west front of the church (facing the length of the piazza) and proceeding to the right. St Mark's Basilica has a western façade with great arches and marble decoration, Romanesque carvings around the central doorway, and four horses which preside over

5510-482: The Piazza. Soon afterwards stonemasons were sent out on the orders of the Municipality to destroy images of the winged lion, which was seen as a symbol of Venetian independence and aristocratic rule. On the Porta della Carta in the Piazzetta the head of Doge Francesco Foscari was removed as well as that of the lion before which he was kneeling. (They were replaced by copies later in the century). The French ordered

5655-749: The Piazzetta San Giovanni XXIII. The neo-classic building on the east side adjoining the Basilica is the Palazzo Patriarcale, the seat of the Patriarch of Venice. Beyond that is St Mark's Clocktower ( Torre dell'Orologio ), completed in 1499, above a high archway where the street known as the Merceria (a main thoroughfare of the city) leads through shopping streets to the Rialto , the commercial and financial centre. To

5800-522: The Procuratie Vecchie is not known from any official source, and various names have been suggested, primarily on the basis of stylistic considerations and the prominence of the individual architect at the time. These include Mauro Codussi , Pietro Lombardo , and Antonio Abbondi . With regard to the sixteenth-century sources, Marin Sanudo mentions the little-known Tuscan architect Zuan Celestro in his diary (1514), whereas Francesco Sansovino in his guide to

5945-492: The Senate deliberated that the construction would continue with all three floors. But the design was radically altered, and Scamozzi was dismissed in 1597. In March 1581, prior to the definitive selection of Scamozzi's design, demolition of the previous structures began with a portion of the old pilgrim hospice and proceeded gradually as more space was required to continue. Actual construction began in 1583. Although Scamozzi

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6090-401: The Senate determined that the time had come to demolish the buildings, citing once again their age and the unsightly appearance. Three designs were submitted for the building that was to house the new apartments of the procurators, and on 5 April 1582, the design of Vincenzo Scamozzi was accepted. On 15 January 1581, the procurators decided that the new building would be constructed not on

6235-625: 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

6380-451: The Venetians soon after the fourth crusade in 1204. The ruins of this church were discovered in 1960 and it was excavated in the 1990s, when capitals were found, which matched the pillars. Beyond these pillars, opposite the corner of the Basilica, is a great circular stone of red porphyry known as the Pietra del Bando (Proclamation Stone) from which official proclamations used to be read. It has been suggested that this may have formed part of

6525-527: The [Church of Saint Mark and its treasury), de citra (responsible for trust funds established in the sestieri (districts) of San Marco , Castello , and Cannaregio ), and de ultra (responsible for trust funds established in the sestieri of San Polo , Santa Croce , and Dorsoduro ). Beginning in 1516, initially to aid in the economic recovery from the War of the League of Cambrai , supernumerary procurators could also be created in moments of financial constraint in exchange for monetary contributions to

6670-469: The administration of many of the properties was delegated to the procurators de supra . The intention was to create a steady flow of revenue in order to fund further work on the Church of Saint Mark and provide charitable assistance to the poor, thus avoiding the need to rely upon private pious donations and state financing. The properties included the long building erected by Ziani along the northern side of

6815-586: The annexation of Venice to the Kingdom of Italy , the Procuratie Nuove came into the possession of the Italian Crown which ceded ownership to the State in 1919. Since 1922, the building houses the Correr Museum . The offices of the procurators, called ridotti , were originally located in the section of the old pilgrim hospice that directly faced Saint Mark's Square. In 1591, after the completion of

6960-524: The apartments above were relatively expensive, ranging from 40 to 70 ducats a year in 1569. But during the Cretan War (1645–1669) against the Ottoman Empire , it was necessary to sell the apartments in order to raise money to finance the war effort. Although the apartments were later repurchased by the procurators, they were definitively sold in 1717. Inside the Procuratie Vecchie, several of

7105-399: The apartments were subsequently transformed into small gathering places for entertaining, relaxation, and, at times, gambling. These were termed either casini (little houses) or ridotti (probably derived from redursi meaning to go, typically to a place of meeting or gathering). Most notably, the Procuratie Vecchie housed the 'Casin dei nobili', a large clubhouse for noblemen located on

7250-422: The apostle as their new patron. He was the missionary-apostle who was said to have converted their district; the relics of an apostle would increase the importance of the city and their acquisition was a further step in the gradual process of freeing Venice from the domination of Byzantium . The relics were temporarily placed in the palace (or castle) of the Doge, Justinian Partecipacius, who provided in his will for

7395-495: The archangel Gabriel above it. The sculptor is not known, although various suggestions have been made including Bartolomeo Buon from Venice and Jacopo della Quercia from Siena and several art historians think that the sculpture of the Judgment of Solomon (which must have been made in the period 1424/38) shows influence from Tuscany. Eduardo Arslan, after reviewing all the theories in 1971, concluded that this sculpture "remains for us

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7540-426: The archangel Gabriel above. The sculptors are not known. Set back from this corner is the Porta della Carta, the ceremonial entrance to the palace, built in fine Gothic style in 1438–43, probably by Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon. Again, there is at the top a figure of Venice as Justice, the theme of fair judgment and justice being much emphasised on this side of the palace. Below this, the head of Doge Francisco Foscari and

7685-429: The art collection of the ridotti was removed and in part dispersed when the library was annexed to the Procuratie Nuove as the royal apartment for Eugène de Beauharnais, the viceroy of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy . The former ridotti were decorated by Felice Giani between 1807 and 1808 with neoclassical motifs, allegorical figures, and mythological scenes that exalt moral and intellectual virtues. When during

7830-471: The building that was to replace the church and join the wing of the Procuratie Vecchie with the wing of the Procuratie Nuove varied. Although the imperial French government sought a sense of monumentality, the projects of Grazioso Buttacalice for a triumphal arch and of Gaetano Pinali for a Corinthian portico were both deemed too radical and equally incongruous with the overall aspect of Saint Mark's Square. Giovanni Antonio Antolini ’s more modest design for

7975-482: The campanile, stopping at a line connecting the three large flagpoles and leaving the space immediately in front of the Basilica undecorated. A smaller version of the same pattern in the Piazzetta paralleled Sansovino's Library , leaving a narrow trapezoid adjacent to the Doge's palace with the wide end closed off by the southwest corner of the Basilica. This smaller pattern had the internal squares inclined to form non- orthogonal quadrilaterals. The overall alignment of

8120-413: The campanile. He also convinced them that the old hostelries and shops on the west side of the Piazzetta opposite the Doge's Palace should be replaced by a new building worthy of the site. It was decided that the library of books and manuscripts , which had been bequeathed to the city by Cardinal Bessarion but had still not found a permanent home, should be housed there and Sansovino originally intended that

8265-532: The canal behind. Each apartment consisted of two sections. The forward section, facing the square, had the principal rooms and a study. It was connected by means of two loggias , running alongside the courtyard, to the back section which had rooms for family members and service areas. Only the first two apartments, begun by Scamozzi, follow this original design. Smeraldi's new design was for narrower apartments, only five arcades wide, that were distributed on multiple floors. Each apartment corresponded to four stores on

8410-481: The centre, like a bowl, where a drain conducted surface water into a below-grade drainage system. The pattern connected the central portal of the Basilica with the centre of the western opening into the piazza. This line more closely parallels the façade of the Procuratie Vecchie, leaving a nearly triangular space adjacent to the Procuratie Nuove with its wider end closed off by the Campanile. The pattern continued past

8555-437: The city (1581) attributes the design to Pietro Bon  [ it ] , the proto (consultant architect and buildings manager) to the procurators de supra . But the precise contributions of Bon and Celestro to the design remain unclear. Bon, as proto , was nevertheless responsible for oversight during construction. Construction began with the damaged section adjacent to the clock tower and proceeded gradually. To limit

8700-410: The city. Other procurators sublet their official apartments as a source of personal revenue. In addition, there were only six official apartments, two for each of the procuracies ( de supra , de citra , and de ultra ) which were assigned to the next senior procurator upon vacancy. This number of apartments was insufficient, and the government incurred the additional expense of a rent allowance to enable

8845-615: The collapse of the former campanile on 14 July 1902. Adjacent to the campanile, facing towards the church, is the small building known as the Loggetta del Sansovino , built by Sansovino in 1537–46 and used as a lobby by patricians waiting to go into a meeting of the Great Council in the Doge's Palace and by guards when the council was sitting. Across the piazza in front of the church are three large mast-like flagpoles with bronze bases decorated in high relief by Alessandro Leopardi in 1505. The Venetian flag of St Mark used to fly from them in

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8990-541: The construction, maintenance, and management of the public buildings around Saint Mark's Square , including the shops, food stalls, and apartments that were rented out as sources of revenue. Following the enlargement of Saint Mark's Square in the second half of the twelfth century, several buildings and lands in and near the square were donated as rental properties to the Commune of Venice , principally by Doge Sebastiano Ziani and his immediate descendants. Subsequently,

9135-424: The death of Sansovino in 1570. By that date it had not yet been possible to start on the rebuilding of the south side of the Piazza beyond the Libreria. Sansovino also completed the rebuilding of the old church of San Geminiano at the west end of the Piazza, facing St Mark's. Much of the work had been done before he took it over in 1557, but he was responsible for the façade in white Istrian stone. He also continued

9280-454: The demolition of the previous structure, certain parts of it were in fact maintained and reutilized, presumably to minimize costs. Following the death of Pietro Bon in 1529, Jacopo Sansovino , a refugee from the Sack of Rome , was nominated in his place as proto to the procurators de supra . The final eight bays of the Procuratie Vecchie, containing five apartments, and the five bays along

9425-413: The design as a series of narrower, multi-level apartments. He also simplified the overall decoration. By 1611, the building had reached the twentieth arcade and four apartments were completed. Smeraldi was succeeded as proto by Mario della Carità and subsequently, in 1640, by Baldassare Longhena who completed the construction of the Procuratie Nuove around 1660, including the seven arcades that reached

9570-422: The design on the façade of the Libreria and completed ten bays between 1582 and 1586, The Procuratie Nuove (New Procuracies), as they are called, were not completed until 1640, when the remaining bays on the south side were completed and continued round the corner to the church of San Geminiano by Baldassarre Longhena . Venice surrendered to Napoleon on 12 May 1797. By 4 June a "Tree of Liberty" had been placed in

9715-690: The drains in the piazza runs directly into the Grand Canal. This normally works well but, when the sea is high, it has the reverse effect, with water from the lagoon surging up into the square. A historically important flood was the 1966 Venice flood , when an abnormal occurrence of high tides, rain-swollen rivers and a severe sirocco wind caused the canals to rise to a height of 194 cm or 6 ft 4 in. Procuratie 45°26′3″N 12°20′16″E  /  45.43417°N 12.33778°E  / 45.43417; 12.33778 The Procuratie (English: Procuracies ) are three connected buildings along

9860-467: The earlier Veneto - Byzantine structure were maintained, including the decorative crenellation along the roofline and the succession of two window bays over each of the ground-floor arches, the elongated stilted arch , characteristic of the Veneto-Byzantine tradition in Venice, was updated with Renaissance semi-circular arches , supported on fluted Corinthian columns . Also, the columns on

10005-412: The early 16th century. The arcade is lined with shops and restaurants at ground level, with offices above. The restaurants include the famous Caffè Quadri , which was patronized by the Austrians when Venice was ruled by Austria in the 19th century, while the Venetians preferred Florian's on the other side of the piazza. Turning left at the end, the arcade continues along the west end of the piazza, which

10150-402: The edge of the lagoon, framing the entry to the city from the sea. Gambling was permitted in the space between the columns and this right was said to have been granted as a reward to the man who first raised the columns. Public executions also took place between the columns. On the far side of the Piazzetta is the side wall of the Doge's Palace with Gothic arcades at ground level and a loggia on

10295-714: The end of the building with cafés and shops and also the entrances to the Archaeological Museum, the Biblioteca Marciana and the National Library, which occupy the floors above. At the end of this building is the Molo (the quay fronting the lagoon) and the adjoining building to the right is the Zecca (mint) also by Sansovino (completed 1547) and now part of the Biblioteca Marciana. Turning to

10440-409: The entrance to the Doge's Palace from the piazzetta. The two great granite columns in the Piazzetta are usually said to have been erected about 1170, but it is now thought more probable that this was done in the time of Doge Ranieri Zeno (1253–68) about 1268; the bases and capitals are 13th-century. Their origin is unknown, but Chios is suggested as possible. The lion is first mentioned in a decree of

10585-401: The exact site of the hospice and existing apartments but further back, in line with the library. This would make the bell tower a freestanding structure. It would also transform Saint Mark's Square into a trapezoid , giving greater visual importance to the Church of Saint Mark located on the eastern side. Presumably, this had been Sansovino's intention when in 1537 he began the construction of

10730-417: The exterior of the apse today). It had five domes, but their exterior profile was low, unlike the present high, onion-shaped structures. Great changes to the area came when Sebastiano Ziani was Doge (1172–78). Venice was growing in importance and the Doge was a very wealthy man. He initiated the changes which created the piazza as we know it. The Rio Baratario was filled in and the church of San Geminiano on

10875-477: The far side was demolished and rebuilt much farther back at the western end of what became the Piazza. An orchard which occupied part of the area was acquired from the convent of San Zaccharia and the Doge bought up a number of buildings which obstructed the site. By his will he left these buildings to the state and in due course they were demolished to clear the area. The rebuilding of the 9th-century Doge's palace also commenced in his time as Doge. The precise date of

11020-511: The façade of this building (the Libreria) should eventually be continued along the south side of the Piazza and round the south-west corner as far as the church of San Geminiano in the middle of the west side. These changes also made it necessary to rebuild the Loggetta and at the same time the government of Venice had commissioned Sansovino to rebuild the mint (the Zecca ) on the west side of

11165-465: The final five bays of the library by Vincenzo Scamozzi (1588), the offices were moved to the upper floor of the new library building when the remaining section of the hospice was demolished in order to continue the construction of the Procuratie Nuove. The offices of the procurators de supra were located in the portion of the library completed earlier by Sansovino, directly facing the Piazzetta and

11310-486: The first floor, and the casino for foreign diplomats, who were not permitted to socialize with the Venetian nobility , located in the wing of the Procuratie Vecchie on the western side of the square. In sharp contrast to the newly built Procuratie Vecchie on the northern side of Saint Mark's Square, the southern side was still lined with several antiquated structures. These included the rent-free apartments erected in

11455-465: The first ten arcades had been built. The project was thereafter entrusted to Francesco di Bernardin Smeraldi, called Fracà, who was also nominated proto in 1600 upon the death of Sorella. That same year, the two single-floor apartments already under construction according to Scamozzzi's design were completed, and the first apartment was assigned the following year. Smeraldi then radically reconceived

11600-661: The first ten windows, completed during Scamozzi's superintendence. The apartments of the procurators occupied the upper storeys. The shops on the ground floor were rented out as sources of revenue. In 1683, a coffeeshop was present, the sole such establishment in Venice. Thereafter the number of coffeeshops in the Procuratie Nuove increased and eventually included 'L’Angelo Custode', 'Duca di Toscana', 'Buon Genio', 'Doge', 'Imperatore', 'Imperatrice delle Russie', 'Tamerlano', 'Fortuna', 'Diana', 'Dama Veneta', 'Aurora', 'Piastrelle', 'Pace', and 'Arabo'. The historic Caffè Florian , initially named 'Venezia Trionfante', opened in 1720. After

11745-411: The first-floor loggia, contrasting with the other pillars which are of white Istrian stone. The red pillars are made of red Verona marble . They may have framed the Doge's chair on ceremonial occasions, but it seems that important malefactors found guilty of crimes against the state would sometimes be executed there. On the rear corner of the Doge's Palace is a sculpture of the Judgment of Solomon with

11890-485: The floor above. Up to the seventh pillar from the front this is the building as rebuilt in 1340, while the extension towards the Basilica was added in 1424. The capitals of the columns of the extended part are mostly copies of those in the front of the Palace. The seventh pillar is marked by a tondo (circular sculpture) of Venice as Justice above the first floor loggia. To the left of this, there are two red pillars in front of

12035-419: The front corner and the fact that that pillar is larger than the others, having held up the corner of the building for 80 years. The capitals on this façade are, for the most part, copies of the existing capitals on the front façade. The last pillar, at the north-western corner of the building, is a very large column and, continuing the theme of Justice, bears a large relief carving of the Judgment of Solomon, with

12180-486: The front corner, now marked by a circular relief of Venice as Justice on the outside of the first-floor arcade. Further back, part of the old palace, known as the Palace of Justice, remained, much as it had stood for about 200 years. Because of the great expense involved, nothing more was done for many years, but in 1422 the Doge Tomaso Mocenigo insisted that for the honour of the city the remaining part of

12325-420: The ground floor and an archway leading to an inner courtyard that opened to the canal behind. A staircase from the courtyard provided access to the apartment above. By adding another three arcades to the overall project, the number of apartments was increased to seven. An eighth apartment was added on the western end of the square. For the first two floors, Scamozzi was obliged to continue Sansovino's design for

12470-505: The ground floor was increased by inserting a narrow street behind the row of stores that opened onto the square so that each arcade now corresponded to an individual shop. On the upper floors, the rooms in the back section, connected by suspended galleries, were destined for servant quarters associated with the principal apartments that looked onto the square. The Procuratie Vecchie was the first major building erected in Venice in emulation of classical prototypes. Although many aspects of

12615-427: The ground floor, reminiscent of the Doge's Palace, were replaced with square Doric pillars . This adhered to Leon Battista Alberti 's recommendation in his architectural treatise, De re aedificatoria , that in larger structures the column, inherited from Greek architecture , should only support an entablature , whereas the arch, inherited from Roman mural construction , should be supported on square pillars so that

12760-623: The height of the Ionic frieze, without, however, successfully resolving the problem of transitioning between the two buildings. In Sansovino's library, the ground floor consists in a series of Doric columns, supporting an entablature , that is superimposed on an arcade . The ancient prototypes are the Theatre of Marcellus and the Colosseum in Rome. Similarly, on the upper floor of the library,

12905-425: The high, vaulted ceiling of the ballroom behind. The façade of the attic is covered in low relief panels with classical motifs. Interspersed with these reliefs are freestanding statues on pedestals by Antonio Bosa and Domenico Banti. These portray heroes, statesmen, and rulers, primarily from Antiquity, that were seen as embodying Napoleonic ideals. The statue in the centre, depicting Napoleon enthroned as Jupiter ,

13050-399: The kingdom of Italy in 1804. Napoleon appointed his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais as his viceroy and in 1807 it was ordered that the Procuratie Nuove were to become the royal palace for his occupation. Napoleon himself paid a ceremonial visit to Venice later in 1807, landing at the Piazzetta on his way to the new palace. It was decided that the new palace should extend across the whole of

13195-501: The late Middle Ages and through the Renaissance, such as Gentile Bellini 's Procession in Piazza San Marco of 1496. In 1723 the bricks were replaced with a more complex geometrical pavement design laid out by Venetian architect Andrea Tirali . Little is known about Tirali's reasoning for the particulars of the design. Some have speculated that the pattern was used to regulate market stalls, or to recall their former presence in

13340-473: The left at the end of the Biblioteca one crosses the open end of the Piazzetta marked by two 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 slain. This is made up of parts of antique statues and is a copy (the original

13485-512: The library further away from the bell tower. The decision to replace the dilapidated structures with a new building for the procurators was in fact the culmination of the renovatio urbis , the vast architectural programme begun under Doge Andrea Gritti to reaffirm Venice's international prestige after the earlier defeat at Agnadello during the War of the League of Cambrai and the subsequent Peace of Bologna which sanctioned Habsburg hegemony on

13630-413: The library which was nearing completion. But following the equivocal results of engineering surveys conducted to determine whether the existing foundation of the library could bear the additional weight, it was decided in 1588 that the library would remain with only two floors. Instead the proposal to raise the height of the Procuratie Nuove was accepted. By the time of Scamozzi's dismissal in 1597, only

13775-405: The library. But in his architectural treatise L’Idea dell’Architettura Universale ( The Idea of a Universal Architecture ), he is highly critical of Sansovino's entablatures, which he states are excessive in height with respect to the columns. The arches are consequently said to be dwarfed and ill-proportioned. In the Procuratie Nuove, Scamozzi, a rigid classicist, corrects the 'error' by reducing

13920-403: The lion before which he is kneeling were replaced in 1885, the originals having been destroyed on French orders in 1797. The statues on either side of the gateway represent the cardinal virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Charity. Next to this, on 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

14065-474: The loss of revenue to the procurators, each tenant was evicted only when it became necessary to demolish the apartment in order to continue building. Also, the new shops on the ground floor and apartments above were leased as soon as they were ready. By 1517, the first section had progressed far enough to begin work on the façade with the revetments in Istrian limestone . That same year, the first new apartment

14210-470: The lower floors. The wall between the Corinthian columns is pierced with rectangular aedicule windows, topped by alternating curvilinear and triangular tympanums . The solution of the alternating tympanums had been employed by both Bramante and Raphael for residential architecture and by Palladio for Palazzo Porto and Palazzo Chiericati . Palladio also proposed the combination in his design for

14355-478: The mainland. In their foreign policy, they tended to support the interests of the Church and of the Holy Roman Empire . But the building programme was increasingly opposed by the more traditionalist and pro-French faction within the government, the giovani , who resisted the attempts of the papalisti to leave a lasting architectural mark. Hence when after the constitutional crisis of 1582-1583

14500-485: The memory of the ancient Roman Republic and, in the aftermath of the Sack of Rome in 1527, to present Venice as Rome's true successor. The building programme was strongly advocated by the papalisti , the wealthy and influential families within the aristocracy who maintained close ties with the Papal court and whose architectural and artistic tastes tended to reflect developments in Rome and central Italy . They saw

14645-509: The mid-16th century but partly built (1582–86) after his death by Vincenzo Scamozzi apparently with alterations required by the procurators and finally completed by Baldassarre Longhena about 1640. Again, the ground floor has shops and also the Caffè Florian , a famous cafe opened in 1720 by Floriano Francesconi, which was patronised by the Venetians when the hated Austrians were at Quadri's. The upper floors were intended by Napoleon to be

14790-577: The missing foot of one of the figures has been found. Beyond this, in front of the South wall of the Basilica are two rectangular pillars always known as the Pillars of Acre. They were thought to be booty taken by the Venetians from Acre after their great victory over the Genoese there in 1258, but this traditional story has also had to be revised. The pillars actually came from the church of St Polyeuktos in Constantinople (524–27), and were probably taken by

14935-412: The northern side of the square was built during the War of the League of Cambrai in the early sixteenth century to replace an earlier structure, damaged by fire. Although the war imposed financial constraints and limited innovation, it was nevertheless the first major public building in Venice to be erected in a purely classical style . It always contained apartments that were rented by the procurators as

15080-456: The office. In addition to the associated public honour, the office of procurator ensured an active role in the political life of Venice: after 1453, it guaranteed a seat in the Senate . Apart from extraordinary embassies to foreign courts, the procurators were also relieved from the obligation incumbent upon all nobles to accept political appointments, including on the Venetian mainland and in

15225-416: The old palace should be demolished and the new part extended. It was resolved that the existing façade should be continued in the same style, and work started in 1424 under the new Doge Francesco Foscari . The extended façade had reached the corner by 1438 and the point where the 15th-century part joins the 14th-century part can only be recognised by the circular relief of Justice above the seventh pillar from

15370-546: The opposite (south) side of the Piazza, of which the most important was the Ospizio Orseolo, an inn or hostel for pilgrims going to the Holy Land. It can be seen that the piazza was then considerably narrower than it is today, because these buildings abutted directly against the west wall of the campanile. In 1204, Constantinople was captured in the course of the 4th Crusade and, both at that time and later during

15515-438: The original Procuratie building, in de Barbari 's woodcut of Venice in 1500. The Procuratie then were only two storeys high and the tower stood higher above them than it does today. Buildings on either side to support the tower were added by 1506 and in 1512, when there was a fire in the old Procuratie, it became obvious that the whole range would have to be rebuilt. Although Venice was then at war with much of Europe ( War of

15660-542: The outdated and precarious apartments were poor, and expenditures for repairs continued to rise for both the occupants and the government. Some procurators, despite the obligation imposed by the Great Council and the Council of Forty , refused to take up residence in the square. Citing the dark and damp conditions and, in some instances, the lack of a view, they preferred to live in their palatial homes elsewhere in

15805-408: The pavement pattern serves to visually lengthen the long axis and reinforce the position of the Basilica at its head. This arrangement mirrors the interior relationship of nave to altar within the cathedral. As part of the design, the level of the piazza was raised by approximately one meter to mitigate flooding and allow more room for the internal drains to carry water to the Grand Canal. In 1890,

15950-534: The pavement was renewed "due to wear and tear". The new work closely follows Tirali's design, but eliminated the oval shapes and cut off the west edge of the pattern to accommodate the Napoleonic wing at that end of the Piazza. The Piazza San Marco is not far above sea level and during the acqua alta , the "high water" from storm surges from the Adriatic or heavy rain, it is quick to flood. Water pouring into

16095-638: The perimeter of Saint Mark's Square in Venice , Italy. Two of the buildings, the Procuratie Vecchie (Old Procuracies) and the Procuratie Nuove (New Procuracies), were constructed by the procurators of Saint Mark , the second-highest dignitaries in the government of the Republic of Venice , who were charged with administering the treasury of the Church of Saint Mark as well as the financial affairs of state wards and trust funds established on behalf of religious and charitable institutions. The Procuratie Vecchie on

16240-437: The procurators de supra , retained responsibility for the administration of the Church of Saint Mark and its treasury. The other two procurators, called de subtus super commissariis , administered trust funds established as pious donations on behalf of religious and charitable institutions. In 1319, there were six procurators, and in 1443 there were nine. These were divided into three procuracies: de supra (responsible for

16385-407: The procurators and devotional works, were transferred from the previous offices and adapted to the new rooms by Tintoretto , under the direction of Scamozzi. In the offices of the procurators de supra , the portraits were hung in double rows, the meeting room being reserved for the portraits of the procurators who had subsequently been elected as doges. Following the fall of the Republic of Venice ,

16530-444: The range of Procuratie Vecchie on the north side of the Piazza round the corner as far as this church. After the death of Sansovino funds were at last made available to start the rebuilding of the south side of the Piazza in its new position well clear of the campanile. His idea of a two-storey building continuing the façade of the Libreria had to be abandoned, as the Procurators required three storeys. However Vincenzo Scamozzi based

16675-496: The rebuilding of the Doge's Palace after the fire of 1577, which may have been the immediate source for Scamozzi. The ancient prototype is the Pantheon where the altars alternate around the perimeter, in pairs, with curvilinear and triangular pediments. Scamozzi's design for the upper floor included elaborate carvings and reclining figures atop the tympanums. But these were eliminated from the design by Smeraldi and exist only above

16820-412: The remaining procurators to secure living space near the square. On 14 July 1536, the procurators de supra consequently commissioned Jacopo Sansovino , their proto (consultant architect and buildings manager), to present a model for a three-storey building that was to substitute the hospice and apartments along the entire southern side of the square and continue in front of the Doge's Palace where it

16965-410: The resulting arcade appears to be the residual of "a wall open and discontinued in several places". The Procuratie Vecchie was rental property managed by the procurators de supra for much of its history. At various times, the shops on the ground floor housed a goldsmith, glazier, cobbler, engraver, tailor, spice merchant, painter, cutler, old-clothes seller, barber, bookseller, and notary. In 1638,

17110-567: The right of the clock-tower is the closed church of San Basso, designed by Baldassarre Longhena (1675), sometimes open for exhibitions. To the left is the long arcade along the north side of the piazza, the buildings on this side are known as the Procuratie Vecchie, the old procuracies, formerly the homes and offices of the Procurators of St Mark , high officers of state in the days of the republic of Venice. They were built in

17255-476: The roof and wooden dome, were probably lost, but the church was not completely destroyed and it seems to have been rebuilt much as before. In 1063 a complete rebuilding commenced. The new church was finished in the time of Doge Vitale Falier (1084–96), and in its main structure this is the present church, though the west front facing the Piazza was then in the Romanesque style with undecorated brickwork (like

17400-446: The same entry as the library, consisted in nine rooms, three for each of the procuracies. The rooms utilized by the procurators de supra were prominently positioned at the top of the monumental staircase as an indication of their prestige. The first of the rooms served as an archive for documents, the second as a room for administrative officials and clerks in attendance, the third for plenary meetings . Paintings, primarily portraits of

17545-403: The second period of French domination the Procuratie Nuove was transformed into a royal residence, the former apartments of the procurators were adapted for residential purposes. But the structure lacked a suitably grand entry as well as larger rooms for audiences and entertaining. In 1807, the Church of San Geminiano , located on the western side of the square, was consequently demolished to have

17690-474: The space needed to extend the royal residence and create the necessary rooms. The church, dating back to the reign of Sebastiano Ziani (1172–1178), had been rebuilt in the early sixteenth century by Cristoforo da Legname and then completed by Jacopo Sansovino in 1557 with the addition of a dome and the façade. It was flanked on both sides by the wings of the Procuratie Vecchie and the Procuratie Nuove, built respectively by Sansovino and Longhena. Proposals for

17835-470: The square. As shown in Gentile Bellini's Processione di Corpus Domini in Piazza san Marco (1496), it was a two-storey building with a series of apartments above and shops on the ground floor that were leased. A fire in June 1512 destroyed one of the apartments near the clocktower and led to the collapse of a portion of the façade. It was subsequently decided that notwithstanding the financial constraints at

17980-402: The square. Others believe the pattern was drawn from oriental rugs , a popular luxury item in this trading centre. A field of dark-colored igneous trachyte with geometrical designs executed in white Istrian stone , similar to travertine composed the design. Squares of diagonally laid blocks alternated with rectangular and oval designs along broad parallel bands. The squares were pitched to

18125-530: The thirteenth century for the procurators as well as their ridotti (offices), which were located inside a separate building dating back to the reign of Pietro I Orseolo (976–978). This building, the Ospizio Orseolo  [ it ] , had originally been constructed as a hospice to give aid and shelter to the pilgrims arriving in the city to venerate the relics of Saint Mark. Later, it served as an almshouse for indigent women. Conditions in

18270-403: The time of the War of the League of Cambrai (1508–1516), the entire structure would be rebuilt as a statement of Venice's self-confidence. Significantly, Marin Sanudo remarked in his diary that the reconstruction was "in order to make it very beautiful for the glory of the land … despite the war" ( "farle di novo e bellissime, che sarà onor di la terra … ben sia la guerra" ). The architect of

18415-525: The time of the republic of Venice and now shares them with the Italian flag. The Piazzetta di San Marco is, strictly speaking, not part of the Piazza but an adjoining open space connecting the south side of the Piazza to the waterway of the lagoon. The Piazzetta lies between the Doge's Palace on the east and Jacopo Sansovino 's Biblioteca (Library) which holds the Biblioteca Marciana on

18560-453: The transformation of Saint Mark's Square into a classical forum as the means to publicly affirm their own cultural orientation and their superior intellectual understanding of the principles of Ancient Roman architecture as outlined by Vitruvius in De architectura . Economically, the papalisti had largely abandoned maritime trade in favour of the administration of agricultural properties on

18705-474: The treasury. This amounted to the periodic sale of the prestigious title. The number of procurators fluctuated thereafter: in 1521, there were eighteen. At times, the number rose to forty. The effective sale of the position also made it possible for young and ambitious nobles to quickly rise to high office and to consequently exert great influence. In the sixteenth century, notably Antonio Cappello , Vettore Grimani, Federico Contarini, and Andrea Dolfin purchased

18850-400: The various new buildings is not known and much must have been done in the time of his son, Pietro Ziani , who was Doge from 1205 to 1229. The area of the piazza was now defined by the erection of buildings on the north and south sides. On the north side were the procuratie, residences and offices for the procurators of St Mark. The original procuratie were a range of two-storey buildings with

18995-455: The west end of the Piazza and this made it necessary to demolish the church of San Geminiano, rebuilt by Sansovino, and also the buildings on either side, Sansovino's extension of the Procuratie Vecchie to the north and part of the Procuratie Nuove to the south. The original architect was Gianni Antolini from Milan, but the new building caused much controversy and in 1810 he was replaced by Giovanni Soli from Modena. The present building, known as

19140-444: The west. At the corner near the campanile, this (west) side is occupied entirely by the Biblioteca (Library) designed by Jacopo Sansovino to hold the Biblioteca Marciana (library of St Mark). Building started in 1537 and it was extended, after the death of Sansovino, by Vincenzo Scamozzi in 1588–91. The building was said by Palladio to be "the most magnificent and ornate structure built since ancient times". The arcade continues to

19285-426: The western side of the square (subsequently demolished) were completed under Sansovino's direction. Given financial constraints during the War of the League of Cambrai, innovation was limited to design modifications that were aimed at increasing revenue to the procurators de supra , foremost of which was the addition of a floor to increment the number of rental apartments. Also, the number of workshops and stores on

19430-487: The whole piazza. The four horses are potent symbols of pride and power in Venice. In 1379, the Genoese said there could be no peace between the two cities until these horses had been bridled. Four hundred years later, Napoleon, after he had conquered Venice, had them taken down and shipped to Paris. The Piazzetta dei Leoncini is an open space on the north side of the church named after the two marble lions (presented by Doge Alvise Mocenigo in 1722), but now officially called

19575-487: Was abandoned after the fall of Napoleon in 1814 and there is now no focal point on the west side of the Piazza. After the abdication of Napoleon the Austrians re-occupied Venice (under the Treaty of Fontainebleau ) in April 1814. The Austrian chancellor, Prince Metternich , was instrumental in arranging the return to Venice of the four horses of St Mark and the lion from the Piazzetta. The horses were re-installed in front of

19720-497: Was commissioned by Venice and it was decided to install it in a new clocktower in the Piazza with a high archway beneath it leading into the street known as the Merceria, which leads to the Rialto. The building, which was probably designed by Codussi, was started in 1496, a section of the original Procuratie being demolished for the purpose. The building was completed with the clock installed by February 1499. It can be seen, flanked by

19865-412: Was directly involved in every aspect, oversight fell to the proto (chief building consultant) to the procurators de supra , Simone Sorella, whose own design for the new building had been rejected. In 1584, Scamozzi presented further design proposals that included an additional floor. This would allow for separate apartments on each of the upper floors. It was similarly suggested that a floor be added to

20010-408: Was nearing completion on the initial construction stage of the library. At that time, it was suggested that the library be extended to the waterfront and that the entire square be lined with new structures. But no action was taken. Conditions in the buildings on the southern side of the square continued to deteriorate giving rise to concerns for the dignity of the procurators, and on 10 December 1580,

20155-488: Was probably an empty space covered with grass in front of the new church, but it cannot have extended more than about 60 metres to the west, where there was a stream (the Rio Baratario) bisecting the area now occupied by the Piazza. On the other side of this stream was a small church dedicated to San Geminiano . The Doge's palace, in the same area as its modern successor, was at that time surrounded by water. The lagoon

20300-450: Was rebuilt by Napoleon about 1810 and is known as the Ala Napoleonica (Napoleonic Wing). It holds, behind the shops, a ceremonial staircase which was to have led to a royal palace but now forms the entrance to the Museo Correr (Correr Museum). Turning left again, the arcade continues down the south side of the Piazza. The buildings on this side are known as the Procuratie Nuove (new procuracies), which were designed by Jacopo Sansovino in

20445-412: Was rented out for stores, workshops, and later coffeehouses, including the historic Caffè Florian , Caffè Quadri , and Caffè Lavena . The Procuratie Nuovissime (Newest Procuracies, also known as the Napoleonic Wing) was built during the second period of French occupation (1805–1815) when after the fall of the Republic of Venice , the Procuratie Nuove was transformed into the residence of the viceroy of

20590-422: Was rented out. With respect to the pre-existing structure, the layout of the new building was altered for the first 24 arcades with the insertion of a small street running parallel to the square. In contrast, the earlier layout, characterized by a series of courtyards, was retained for the remainder of the building, further away from the area damaged by the fire. This indicates that, although documents refer to

20735-463: Was soon found too small for the number of patricians sitting on the Great Council after the right to do so was made hereditary in 1297, and rebuilding started in 1340. Work was held up by the Black Death in 1348 but the first stage was completed by 1365. This comprised the front part of the palace facing the lagoon, but in the Piazzetta the new building only extended to the seventh pillar back from

20880-415: Was to replace the five hostelries for foreign merchants, the lean-to bread shops, and the meat market. No records survive regarding the ensuing internal discussions, but the project was radically transformed. On 6 March 1537, it was decided that the construction of the new building, now with only two floors, should begin with the section directly in front of the palace and that the space should be destined for

21025-517: Was to the south, the Rio di Palazzo (the canal beneath the Bridge of Sighs ) to the east, and another stream to the north between the palace and the church. There was an inlet from the lagoon occupying much of the space now covered by the Piazzetta and this seems to have been used as a dock for the city. In 976 there was a rebellion against the Doge and the church was set on fire. The wooden parts, including

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